Repair, Rebuild, Renew
by handidandi
Summary: Sequel to In With the Old, Out With the New. Two months after the events at the warehouse, the Cage family is trying to pick up the shambled pieces of their lives. Not the easiest feat when each member has to contend with and conquer their own demons. **Photo by Thejudicatorr
1. The Aftershock

**Disclaimer:** Mortal Kombat and its subsidiaries belong to the Netherrealm studio and don't belong to me. Only the plot is mines.

 **Author's Note:** Hi! I'm back with the sequel! Let's see where this one takes us, shall we? Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

 _"Hey, Mom. What's up?" the young woman asked her commanding officer,_ _forgetting she was technically on duty. With a leveled look, the superior raised an eyebrow at her charge. "Sorry. Corporal Cage reporting," she altered. Cassandra Cage was standing in front of General Sonya Blade inside the latter's office, awaiting her next assignment. It shouldn't be too hard, seeing as how she and her team just finished their tour in Darfur._

 _"I need you to meet Mr. Cage in the gym for some one-on-one combat training. Just to brush up on your skills a little," General Blade told the young woman in front of her. After overhearing her daughter and honorary niece Private First Class Jacqueline Briggs gossiping about her irritable attitude, she saw no harm in trying get back on her good side by letting her spend some quality time with her father. This was the only way she could achieve this without compromising her rank else how._

 _"Yes, ma'am," Cassie replied curtly as she left the general's office. Sticking her ear buds back into her ears, she continued to listen to_ _a song_ _she personally dubbed_ _as_ _her fight anthem as she made her way down to the base gym. She spotted her dad Johnny Cage doing practice jabs and hooks in the air, oblivious to the world around him. She smirked. Judging by his fierce concentration, she deduced that he wasn't exactly expecting company. She cleared her throat, catching him in the middle of an aerial high kick. She_ _walked_ _up to him and removed the head buds once more. "Cage match!" she announced in good humor._

 _Kicking his leg once more in the air with green sparks flying off, he replied just as good natured, "You didn't just say that."_

 _She clicked off the sound and got into her standard judo formation. "I_ _ **am**_ _your daughter."_

* * *

Cassie opens her eyes and frowns at the sunlight, completely void of any emotion or feeling. It was just another day in the Cage residence; she could hear her mother Sonya's feet patter softly across the floor and she could swear she heard, if she listened carefully, the sound of a sizzling pan in the kitchen a full flight of stairs down. Buried in her blankets despite the onslaught of a heatwave, Cassie sighs softly, unwilling to move.

She knows it's coming. It always does. Her father Johnny walking up the stairs, trying to sneak past the trick step that creaked loudly, her parents soft mutterings (today, he gets the last word), and him shuffling his way outside of her door. _Three, two, one,_ she counts in her head before there is a double knock on the door. Not waiting for an answer, he carefully opens the door and crosses the threshold. She's aware of his bribes. They don't work. Not always.

"Made ya Shadow pancakes," he states apprehensively. His daughter's temper in the past week has been volatile. Some days she'd curse him. Others, she'd throw the plate on the floor like an ill-behaved cat. Once in a while, she'd ignore him, unspeaking. Those days he preferred because at least she took a bite of food. "With honey glazed turkey bacon," he adds after a pause. _Shit_ , he thought, _I forgot eggs_.

As if reading his thoughts, she softly inquires, "No eggs?"

This was the first time in a while since she spoke. Taken aback, he replies, "Your mother's eggs are better than mines."

Slowly removing herself from her personal cocoon, Cassie turns her head to face her dad. "In what universe?" she jokes with a hint of a smile.

Johnny laughs. "Yeah, you're right." He visibly relaxes now, ecstatic that his little princess is actually conversing with him. He doesn't want to lose the momentum, so he puts off the mentioning of her personal leave and strokes her head instead. "Do you need anything else, Punkin?" he asks her gently.

She finally sits up in bed and stares at her breakfast. "A fork would be nice, Dad," she teases. He stares at the plate in disbelief. _Of course,_ he thinks to himself. Nonetheless, Cassie picks up a slice of bacon and takes a small bite. Then another bite. Then she shoves the rest of the bacon in her mouth, obviously pleased with the taste. It's been a while she ate anything remotely decent since... She swallows, suddenly losing her appetite. Johnny's delayed reaction proves to be detrimental to his glee. She shoves the plate in his hands and dives back under the covers. "Thanks for trying, but I'm not hungry anymore," she mumbles in a thinly veiled voice, trying her best not to cry.

Dejected, Johnny sighs, heart broken. He suddenly wished Quan Chi was still alive just so he could resurrect that bastard Kano and kill him over and over again. He gets up and leaves, making his way downstairs.

He finds his (ex) wife Sonya in her pajamas and his favorite robe drinking a cup of coffee by the ivory colored marble island counters. Frustrated, he slams the plate on the counter, effectively causing Sonya to choke. A retort is on the tip of her lips until she sees his reaction and checks herself. "What happened?" she queries instead as he grabs fists full of his hair.

"Dammit, I was so close!" he shouts, banging a fist on the table.

She eyes the plate. "She ate a bacon strip," she notes. He sighs again. She follows suit before asking, "What are we gonna do?"

"What the hell are we _supposed_ to do, Sonya?" he asks her, thoroughly frustrated. "We can't force feed her, she won't talk to us, she won't get out of bed... what else _can_ we do?"

Sonya closes her eyes in defeat. "I don't know," she mutters softly before she slips away to change out of her pajamas.

Since resigning from the military, Sonya was unable to keep herself busy at home. Granted, she didn't mind staying at home with Cassie while the latter was on an extended personal leave, but dealing with her daughter's anxiety and depression began to take a toll on her. Sonya's own trauma started bubbling to the surface painfully each day she decided not to accompany Johnny on his movie star adventures. Her only fix was to either find a job or go back to school. Even though she enrolled in a few classes using the G.I bill, it was still mid-summer; she had to wait a few weeks more before classes began.

A few minutes later, Sonya comes back wearing an olive green hoodie with a black tank top and black yoga pants, which Johnny ogles from the couch. "Uh, nice outfit?" he tells her. She levels a stare at him. "I mean, there's no way you can _not_ look sexy in anything you wear, but uh... is today training day?"

Sonya rolls her eyes. "No," she starts, "I've changed my mind. I want to be a consultant on your new film," she tells him. He stares at her. "At least until classes start." Genuinely shocked, Johnny's jaw comes unhinged. "Oh, for the love of God," she grumbles. "Don't make me change my mind again, Cage."

Johnny raises his hands in surrender. "I'm not, I'm not. It's just... I'm really happy you're here, really. And I would love for you to help out." He beckons her closer and she complies, sitting on his lap. He wraps his arms around her waist and says, "You did a very noble thing, you know that? I know if it were truly up to you, you'd be on base right now. You gave up a lot Sonya."

She wraps both arms around him and buries her head in the crook of his neck. "Then why do I still feel powerless to help our daughter?"

"It's gonna take time. You said so yourself, but Cass is a strong young woman and we both know that when she bounces back, she'll bounce back hard. And we'll be here for her when she does, right baby?" She smiles into his neck. "Aww, you didn't object this time," he jokes.

"This is usually where I tell you to 'shut up', but you're right," she admits.

"You're just full of surprises today, aren't you?" he asks her as he places a sweet kiss on her cheek. He sighs again after a moment. "At least she ate a Bladed Bacon," he notes. She mumbles something inaudible. "What's that?"

"Now I'm telling you to shut up," she says as she kisses his neck. "It's because my cooking is better than yours."

"Oh yeah? Well... my pancakes are better than those floppy disks you try to pass off as food."

"My eggs are better," she argues in jest. He snorts. "What?"

"In the words of our princess, 'in what universe?'"

Sonya gapes. "She said that?" Johnny nods. "Liar," she accuses him as she tickles him under the chin. He laughs as he catches her under the arms with his fingers. They launch into a tickling game with Johnny quickly gaining the upper hand. "Take it back!" she struggles to say through laughter.

"Not until you surrender!" he informs her as he continues his assault. In her bid to get away, Sonya shifts and loses her place on the couch. They both tumble off and she hits her hip bone on the corner of the coffee table and he lands on top of her. "Shit, you okay?"

"Son of a bitch!" she swears as she rubs the injured bone. He helps her up and they reoccupy their respective places on the couch. After a moment, she concedes; "This counts as a win for you, Cage."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he replies as they share a kiss. When they break apart, he stares at her for a few minutes. "I'm not sure Cass would like you being away from home today, though," he realizes. "It seems like she's a little less… agitated when you're around. It's not like her, and that worries me."

Sonya thinks about his statement for a moment. "Do you think it has anything to do with her little impromptu trip to the doctor's last week?"

He shrugs. "Could be," he answers, "but it's not like she'll tell me any time soon. Maybe…?" he questions and she instantly catches on.

"If she won't talk to you, what makes you think _I'm_ any better?" she asks him warily.

"Uh, because you're her mother? And mothers usually knows best?" he tells her matter-of-factly. She nips at his neck painfully for his tone of voice. "Can you please try? For me, Sunny?" he requests politely. She finally removes her head from his neck and stares at him incredulously. He grins at her sheepishly. "Well, I tried," he says as she begins untangling herself from his figure.

"You haven't called me that since…" she starts to protest as she slowly smiles at him. "You're a pain in the ass, John, but you're probably right. I'll go check on her," she tells him. When Sonya reaches her daughter's room, she notices Cassie under the covers and trembling. "Cass?" she calls her softly as she puts a hand where she thinks her daughter's shoulder is.

"I'm not hungry," Cassie laments.

Sonya sighs. "I'm not here to force you to eat sweetheart," she tells Cassie tentatively.

Uncovering herself from her cocoon once more, Sonya notices Cassie's bloodshot eyes and red face. "If you're here to lecture me—"

"Cassie!" Sonya snips at her. Cassie snarls at her mother. "I..." she starts hesitantly, "I just wanna talk to you."

"Well, I don't wanna talk to you or anyone else," Cassie snaps back at Sonya. "You weren't there! You don't know what the hell I'm going through!" she yells, making Sonya inch back in shock. "So do me a favor and fuck off, _General_ ," she draws out her former rank nastily. She huffs and covers herself in her blankets once again.

Stuck between wanting to berate her daughter and slinking away in defeat, Sonya chooses the latter and gets up to leave. "For what it's worth, you're right; I don't know what you've been through, but I won't stop trying to understand Cassandra," she says before closing the door gently. She turns to see Johnny staring at her from across the hall. "That went well," she mutters miserably, her lips trembling. He holds out his arms for a hug which she complies with, sinking into his arms accompanied by a strangled sob.

This was going to be the most difficult and longest challenge they would have to face as a family.

* * *

 **A/N:** Reviews are pretty. Lemme know what you think so far. Thanks again for reading. Your support is much, much appreciated.


	2. Semblance of Normalcy

**Disclaimer:** Anything you recognize belongs to Mortal Kombat and all that jazz. Anything you don't recognize is all me. Thanks

 **Author's Note:** Since I'm trying not to drown y'all in angst, there are a couple of tiny, little fluffs in here if you squint. Enjoy as per usual.

* * *

The past few days on set were especially taxing on Johnny. His cast had little to no respect for his vision and his producer was harassing him on a final date on the movie. The only thing different about today was that Sonya accompanied him, asking for her input whenever it was necessary. With a disgusted grunt, he raises his megaphone to his lips. "Cut!" he announces to his cast. They all stopped what they were doing. Pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. The young men and women, all of whom were dressed in various pirate themed costumes, looked at him curiously. "While I appreciate what you guys are trying to do, you have to remember this is a melee. It's _supposed_ to be chaotic and frenzied."

"Dude," the lead actor says, "that's what we've been _doing_. It's not my fault that blind guy kinda sucks." He shakes his head as he re-holsters his sword. Some of the boys snickered at their friend.

Johnny doesn't take the subtle jab at Kenshi very lightly. "Well, it wasn't the right form," Johnny says through gritted teeth.

"Fu—" he starts before he's cut off by a sharp whistle. He turns to the source of the sound and finds Sonya glaring at him. She gives Johnny a quick look which he response with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"What's your name again, kid?" she asks him, taking on the tone she only reserves for insubordinate soldiers.

"It ain't kid, that's for damn sure," the actor answers disrespectfully, a choice that proves to be a mistake.

Sonya folds her arms, unimpressed. "Well then, _dude_ ," she begins sarcastically, "your form isn't right because your footing is incorrect. Haven't you heard of the saying 'a house is only as sturdy as its foundation', or did that fly over your head, too?" She stands up and places her hands on her hips as the rest of the cast let out a few snickers and jeers.

The actor narrows his eyes at this woman. Who did she think she was bossing him around like that? "If it's such a problem, _lady_ , then show me," he challenges her.

Shaking her head incredulously, she strides over to him and places a hand on his shoulder. Without any real preamble, she kicks one of his legs from under him and flips him over to his back. He lands with a loud _plop_. The girls gasp as he coughs. "See, now if you'd been standing with the correct posture, I shouldn't have been able to knock you flat on your ass. Now get up so I can show you," she tells him. With a scowl on his face, he gets up roughly. Placing his feet shoulder width apart she then places his back leg a couple of inches behind him. "Now bend your knees," she tells him as she guides him into a slight bend. "Keep your back straight," she directs him and she takes a step back. "And now," she says as she tries to kick his leg from under him again. He wobbles but he doesn't fall. Turning back to Johnny, she asks him, "Isn't that better?"

The entire time this is happening, Johnny went from raising an eyebrow to widening his eyes and gaping. Shaking his head, he composes himself. "Yeah, that's much better," he tells his actor. His heart suddenly fills with pride for his woman. When she walks back to the chair next to him, he holds out a fist to her, which she bumps with her own. "Damn, you're good," he tells her with a smirk as she sits back down.

"I know," she tells him matter-of-factly. "Hey!" she calls out to the actor after a few moments, "what's your name anyway?"

"Jamie," he responds as he practices his sword tricks in the same posture Sonya has left him in. Unbeknownst to anyone, her heart drops as a memory flashes through her mind. Clearing her throat, she watches in silence as Johnny redirects his cast to their starting point.

After a few minutes, Johnny glances over at her again. "I love it when you're here, baby," he states happily.

She forces herself to smile at him. "Me, too," she responds.

* * *

Cassie angrily throws her duffle bag on the top bunk of her room at the base. She paces around the room, muttering to herself. She was told to begin mandated therapy sessions _before_ she was supposed to be cleared for duty, but somehow the memo missed Secretary Blake who demanded her return lest she faced a multitude of write ups. Deciding on a new course of action, she leaves the room, slamming the door behind her.

She walks up to Blake's office and knocks on the door harshly. "Enter," she hears him say. She enters his room and manages to narrowly bite down her anger. "Sergeant Cage. Welcome back," he tells her with a nod. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Permission to speak off the record, sir?" she asks (demands).

"Certainly," he tells her, none the wiser to her distress.

"Why the fuck am I listed as back on duty?" she yells at him. He drops his pen in shock and stares at her incredulously. "I was told that I wasn't cleared until I started therapy, which I haven't done yet. I thought I was cleared to start at my own time."

"Uh," he starts intelligently, "you were given an eight week clearance, Sergeant, one which you are two days behind on."

"But that wasn't clear to me," she argues, "I was told not to come back until I started therapy."

"Well, I apologize for the misconception. However, you were due back two days ago. You and your team are supposed to go to Outworld with a team from OIA to clear things up with them. General Flagg will accompany you and Corporal Briggs."

 _Corporal?_ She thinks to herself. "Huh. And where will _General_ Blade be in this?" she hisses, still obviously holding some contempt for her mother.

Blake frowns. " _Blade_? You shouldn't be concerned with Ms. Blade's whereabouts, Sergeant," he decides to inform her. "From here on out, you'll be reporting to General Flagg. Just get your team back together."

"Yes, sir," she spits before turning on her heel and stalking over to the door.

"And Sergeant?" he cuts into her departure with. She slowly turns back around to face him. "I am sorry for what has happened to you," he tells her.

For added measure, she pops her gum between her teeth. "Don't sweat it, Blake. I've learned my lesson," she grits before slamming the door behind her. "You don't know the half of it," she mumbles to herself. Feeling the bile rise to her throat, she sprints to the nearest bathroom. Locking herself in a stall, she empties the contents of her stomach harshly even though there isn't much to begin with. After a few minutes of dry heaving, her breathing turns into sobs.

A few hours later, she's back in her room doing pull-ups using the door frame as a guide. "Cassie?!" a voice asks in total disbelief. She jumps down from the frame and turns to face Jacqui dressed in a dark gray tank top and her army print cargo pants. Her usually braided hair is straightened and pulled into a neat high ponytail. Cassie raises an eyebrow at her best friend. "What are you…? I mean, how come… hi?" she sputters.

"You heard about this new mission we have?" Cassie asks Jacqui, cutting straight to the point.

Jacqui blinks a few times before she shakes her head. "What about it?"

"We've gotta go to Outworld for some shit reason," Cassie informs her flippantly.

Jacqui continues to stare at Cassie whom she hadn't seen since she left the hospital six weeks before. "I didn't know about a new mission. My question is how do _you_ know about it? Have you been cleared for duty already? What about therapy?"

Cassie holds up a hand to stop Jacqui's onslaught of questions. "Chill out. Apparently, I've had eight weeks to sort my shit. Now I'm here. And fuck that bullshit therapy session. I shouldn't have to be forced to tell a stranger my 'issues' like some fucking nutcase."

Jacqui nods in agreement. "You're right; you shouldn't have to talk to—"

"I mean, I'm _fine_. I don't need to talk to some fucking shrink about what happened, you know?" she continues, her voice beginning to raise a few notes above normal. She paces around the room.

"I—" Jacqui tries to say.

"And can you believe the nerve of the _General_? I thought she'd have my back—"

"Cass…"

"I thought she'd at least understand the shit I've been through—"

"Cassie!" Jacqui tries again.

"No wonder she's such a dismal, two-faced cu—"

"Sergeant Cassandra Carlton Cage!" Jacqui screams at her best friend. Cassie snaps out of it. She turns around again to see Jacqui glaring at her. She hadn't seen that look on her face since the Blood Code, and it scared her shitless. Cassie backs down immediately, inching herself towards the bunk bed and lying down on the bottom bunk. "Shit, Cassie. You're mad at the wrong fucking person, dammit. Aunt Sonya's been trying to help you. She's not the enemy," Jacqui says softly as she walks over to sit on the edge of her bed.

"How am I supposed to know that?" Cassie mumbles through Jacqui's pillow.

"Because," Jacqui starts, "have I ever lied to you? Like, ever?"

Cassie lifts her head from her pillow and looks at her best friend. "No," she begrudgingly admits. She places her head on the pillow again and screams loudly. Jacqui exhales, feeling defeated because she has never seen her best friend in this state before. It worried her and left her powerless to help other than to try to offer emotional support.

"I'm just really upset that Flagg made you come back when you weren't ready. Isn't there a way to extend your leave just a little while longer?" She looks toward Cassie and sees her shrug, her head still encased in the pillow. Making a swift decision, Jacqui stands up. "Get up, Cass. I'm taking you home. And if they try to give you shit about it, I'll take the blame."

"They won't let me, Jacqui," she whines.

"Fuck them. I'm taking you home. You're not you if you're not focused." Jacqui reaches above her and grabs Cassie's duffle bag from the top bunk. "You're going, and you're not coming back until you're good and damn well ready. That's what Aunt Sonya wanted. That's what you're gonna get." Cassie finally picks up her head again and looks to see her best friend with that look of stubborn determination. No one is able to change Jacqui's mind once it's made up. For once, Cassie won't even try. It's what gives her the emotional strength to slowly get up and follow behind Jacqui as they make their way through the corridor. Some of their fellow soldiers are giving them reproachful looks, which Jacqui pointedly ignores.

"General Flagg's gonna have your ass, Specialist Briggs," she hears a female tell her.

"Fuck off, Hendrix," Jacqui snaps at her. "And it's Corporal to you, so go back to bed."

Cassie fights off the sneer that threatens to cross her features when she hears the girl scoff indignantly. When they climb into Jacqui's Ford Expedition, Cassie can't hold her tongue anymore. "So, you're Corporal now? When did that one happen?" Jacqui ignores her question for the time being and starts the car. "Thanks Jacqui," she speaks after a few minutes of driving.

"Anytime," she responds.

* * *

After their long and exhausting day on set, Johnny and Sonya have already eaten dinner, showered, and are now getting ready to sleep. As she crawls into bed, Sonya pulls the covers over her body and turns away from his side. Johnny emerges from the bathroom and notices her under their blankets, unmoving. "Sonya?" he calls out to her.

"Yeah?" she answers softly.

He walks over to her and sits on the other side of the bed. "What's wrong?" he asks her.

"Nothing," she replies quickly. She doesn't notice him frowning, but she feels when he pulls the covers away from her body lightly. "I'm fine."

"You're lying," he tells her. She grumbles under her breath. "Babe, what's on your mind?"

"I said I'm _fine_ , John," she repeats, curling up into a ball.

Johnny closes his eyes and counts to ten in his head. "Sonya, I'm not gonna force you to talk to me. But please, don't start shutting me out too," he says evenly.

A twinge of guilt creeps up on Sonya. She sighs, sitting up and facing Johnny. "I just don't know what to do with myself. I keep thinking to myself that I should be on the base doing something useful, you know? What if things start flaring up again in Outworld? What if the whole ordeal was simply a means to distract us from any other threats?" she ponders as she idly fiddles with the strings of her powder blue knee length sweat pants.

"You don't think you're being useful here?" Johnny questions her, slightly hurt over her words.

She narrows her eyes at him. "Out of everything I've just told you, _that's_ what you chose to focus on?!" she snaps at him.

"I didn't mean—" he starts to backtrack.

"How did you mean it then?"

He covers his face with his hands and rubs his eyes. "Baby, I'm trying, okay?" he renounces, not wanting to start an argument with her, especially so late in the day. "I don't think I'll ever be able to understand how you feel about your life away from the army, but I'm trying. And I'm sorry that I may have caused you to 'resign' in the first place because of my actions. I swear I'll be spending the rest of my life trying to make it up to you and Cass." Another wave of guilt crashes into Sonya at the magnitude of his words. "And you're right," he continues, "I'm sure they'll send someone to check up on Kotal Kahn and the other Outworlders. We can never be sure with them since the Reiko Accords no longer apply to them."

Sonya swallows thickly. "You know, I almost forgot about those fucking accords," she says, thoroughly annoyed with the situation. She scoots over to him. "And Johnny?"

"Yeah?"

"It's not your fault," she tells him as she puts a hand on his knee and squeezes. "It's not your fault," she reiterates. She shifts to her knees and leans in to give him a hug, which he returns. "I'm sorry I snapped at you," she breathes into his ear.

He smiles as he gives her hips a warm squeeze. "All is forgiven, Sunny," he tells her. She nestles into his neck. "And I'm sorry for implying that you're not useful. I really did enjoy your company and assistance today on set."

"That's okay," she states as she lets him go. "I had fun today as well, minus that insubordinate kid," she mutters the last part. He chuckles. "He'd have gotten a set of burpee suicides from me if he were my charge."

"Don't I know it," Johnny tells her with a laugh. They settle down into the bed facing each other; he wraps one arm around her waist, drawing her closer to him and she threads her leg between his with one arm on his shoulder and the other around his neck.

They both lay there in silence listening to each other's breathing. "Honey?" she calls him softly.

"Hmm?" he answers, half asleep.

She contemplates telling him what's on her mind; she's scared shit less because the anniversary of her partner's death is coming up and she doesn't know what to do with herself now that she isn't in Special Forces to occupy her time. She changes her mind, opting to say, "I love you," instead because she does and she knows he'd understand everything eventually; she'll just tell him when she's ready.

He smiles at her sleepily. "Aww, she loves me," he brags.

Fighting the urge to laugh out loud at his antics, she teases, "And you're insufferable."

"You missed this. And I love you, too."

* * *

 **A/N:** Love your reviews. Lemme know what you think as per usual.


	3. Stipulations

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Mortal Kombat in its entirety. I don't even have the consoles… hmm. But I do have the mobile game. :)

 **Author's Note:** All of you asked the same question: does Cassie not know about Sonya's 'resignation'? This chapter should answer that for you. Enjoy!

* * *

Deciding that her best friend needed a break from reality, Jacqui offered to take Cassie camping to their favorite spot since joining SF. They made a quick pit stop at a local sports store before they drove up to the Runyon Canyon to spend the night. In the morning, Jacqui left the vicinity to make a few runs, leaving Cassie in the tent while still sleeping. When Cassie noticed her friend gone in the morning, she started to panic, covering herself inside of her sleeping bag in the fetal position.

Cassie hears footsteps crunching in the gravel several minutes after waking up. Her mind aimlessly wanders back to that warehouse until a voice breaks through her visions. "Just me," Jacqui speaks up.

She stops shivering long enough to pout. "I thought you left me alone in the wilderness," Cassie mumbles from within the tent.

"Why would I do that? I just went to get you something," Jacqui tells her as she sits outside the tent. Sensing her curiosity, Jacqui smirks. "I know you want it," she says, holding a carton of ice cream to the slit of the tent and shaking it slightly. She hears Cassie moving under the covers but has yet to poke her head out. "Melted ice cream is a sin," Jacqui teases.

A few moments later: "You play dirty, Briggs," Cassie mumbles. She sticks out an arm to receive the ice cream, which Jacqui gleefully hands to her. Cassie unzips the tent while saying, "Gimme a spoon," which Jacqui hands to her. Cassie scoops several spoons full of the rocky road ice cream into her mouth. "Ugh, and you bought my favorite flavor, too. Extremely dirty tactics, Jacqui," she continues to playfully berate through mouthfuls of the frozen goodness.

"Desperate times call for dirty measures," Jacqui replies with a laugh. After watching Cassie continue to shovel ice cream into her mouth, she continues, "So how are you doing? Like, _really_ doing?"

Cassie takes another gulp before closing her eyes. "I don't know," she tells her honestly. She puts the carton down just outside of the tent. "I mean, I can never get those images out of my head. The images of _him_ ; what he did, what he said, how he died?" She swallows thickly, trying not to shut down in front of her best friend. "I can't even look at certain foods without equating it to him." Jacqui nods. She'll never be able to understand what her friend truly experienced during her capture, but she was sort of glad Cassie was even speaking. Cassie had kept mum for too long and she needed to lend an ear. "I know it's over, and my body knows that. It's just that... my mind hasn't quite followed, you know?" Jacqui nods again. Cassie blinked away tears. "Can I tell you something? You have to swear it stays between us," Cassie warns her.

"Of course, I swear," Jacqui reassures her. She even holds a hand over her heart.

Tears fell in rapid succession from Cassie's eyes. Trying to keep her voice leveled, she starts, "Even though Mom gave me the pill, there's a part of me that's a little worried about… you know… ugh!" Cassie couldn't even bring herself to say it out loud; whether her train of thoughts turned out to be true or not, she was screwed either way.

Now Jacqui is confused. "Worried about what?" she asks her slowly, possibly following Cassie's train of thought as well. Cassie wipes the falling tears from her eyes. She still hasn't come to terms with it in her head, let alone saying it out loud. "I won't judge you, Cass," Jacqui says while sitting Indian style next to the foot of the tent.

"What if I was… you know… pregnant?" Cassie finally manages to tell her. Jacqui's eyes nearly bulge from their sockets. "I mean, isn't it still possible? God, it wouldn't even be from anyone else, I swear!" Jacqui scoots closer to Cassie and gives her a side hug. "Sometimes I think deserved it, y'know? Like, I shouldn't have provoked him, or I shouldn't have been tracking him. Maybe I shouldn't have made that stupid shit deal with him, or—"

"No, Cass, it wasn't your fault at all!" Jacqui reiterates. " _He's_ the monster, not you. And he's dead because of it, too! And no, you're not… nope." Jacqui doesn't even want the thought in her head.

"Yeah," Cassie murmurs, "But _I_ still have to live with it." She sniffles and leans her head on Jacqui's shoulder. "I don't wanna do the mandated therapy, but I'm not supposed to be back at work until I do. I don't want Mom to go all bat-shit crazy on me."

"She won't," Jacqui tells her.

"How do you know that?"

"Because she understands, trust me. She wouldn't have given up her career if she didn't."

Cassie looks up at Jacqui, surprised. "What?" she asks.

Jacqui blinks. _She doesn't know,_ Jacqui thinks. "Oh. Yeah, Aunt Sonya resigned because of the fiasco. One of the last things she wanted as General besides giving me a promotion was to make sure you went back on _your_ terms, meaning that she wants you to do the therapy session at least once, but she's not obligated to force you to return unless she knew you were stable enough for it."

Cassie sighs forlorn. "Shit…" Cassie mumbles miserably. "So many people suffered so much because of me," Cassie laments, morose.

"You helped bring the Black Dragon down, something Aunt Sonya _and_ my dad's been trying to do since forever. I think she'll more than forgive you," Jacqui consoles Cassie as she hands her a tissue from her pocket. Cassie accepts it and blows her nose.

"Yeah, you're right. She's really understanding, at least when she wants to," she tells Jacqui, wiping her eyes. "And I've been blaming her for my forced return this whole time. Fuck, I owe her a huge apology. She probably won't even forgive me for my shitty attitude, not that I blame her."

"She already has," Jacqui tells her. After a few moments of silence, Jacqui then asks, "So, what's the deal with you and this mysterious Shirai Ryu clan's man? What'd you say his name was…? Yuri?"

Cassie blushes a little. "Nothing. He saved my life. That's it." Jacqui gives Cassie a knowing look, causing her face to flush even more. "Jacqui!"

"I'm just saying... he's kinda hot," Jacqui informs her.

"Stop it!" Cassie whines as Jacqui laughs. "I hate you Jacqueline!"

"And I love you too, Cassandra."

Cassie shoves Jacqui and untangles herself from her sleeping bag. "How long are you planning on keeping me here?"

Jacqui shrugs as she stretches. "I dunno. As long as it takes." Cassie peeks her head out and raises an eyebrow at her. "Uh… I mean… girl, I dunno. We'll probably head back later today if you want. But as I've said before, you're technically not supposed to be back until you start therapy."

Cassie snorts. "Tell that to Flagg. He probably has me as AWOL right now," she complains as she begins to stretch as well.

* * *

She was worried. And pissed off, too; but she was mostly worried.

Sonya is pacing in their bedroom while Johnny is in the shower. Once in a while, she lets out an angry growl and stares at her phone before resuming her pacing. Johnny finally retreats from the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He looks up to see Sonya muttering to herself and wearing his robe over her sleep clothes. "Babe?" he inquires, confused. Sonya, thinking he wants his robe, snatches it off her body and throws it in his direction. It hits him in the head and he shakes it off. "Sonya," he tries again.

"Cassie and Jacqui are AWOL," she says with a growl.

Johnny scowls. "They made her go back already?" he asks her while he begins searching for clothes.

"That's the fucking problem!" she screams. "She wasn't supposed to be back yet. I don't know where they are. Cassie's not in her room, she's not on base…" She stops pacing to turn to him. "I swear to God, Johnny, if anything else happens to her—"

"Did you call Jacqui's phone?" he questions.

She's about to snap at him when she freezes in place. She considered herself a fairly calm and collected person up until that point. "I… no." She looks up at him with wide eyes. "I didn't call Jacqui's… wow Sonya," she mumbles to herself before grabbing her phone to get a hold of them. "Jacqui? It's Sonya," she starts as calmly as possible, "where are you? Flagg is looking for you."

"Cassie and I are camping by the Runyon Canyon. We're not too far away, I promise," Jacqui tells her.

Her first instinct is to admonish them, until she realizes she isn't their C.O anymore. "Oh. That sounds like fun," Sonya responds with a terse smile. "Is Cassie okay?" Johnny stands by her side and gives her a shoulder massage. "I mean… is she really okay?"

Jacqui sighs a little over the phone. "She's a little better. But she's super pissed at Blake."

Sonya nods. "Okay," she whispers, "well, be safe and all that. And tell… never mind. Just make sure to report back to Flagg. I don't necessarily appreciate being scolded like a child at 400 hours but I'll try to smooth things over for you both."

"Will do. And sorry about that Aunt Sonya," Jacqui tells her. "Briggs out."

Not knowing how to respond to that, she ends the call and breathes a sigh of relief. Johnny drapes his arms around Sonya's waist from behind. He cranes his neck to look at her over her shoulder. "I'm getting too old for this shit, John," she says as she lets out a humorless laugh. She leans her head back, taking a few deep breaths. He stays silent, waiting for her to continue. "Why is it that as soon as I leave, they decide to put the _special_ in Special Forces?" she asks him rhetorically. He laughs in her ear at that. "I mean, honestly, I put certain stipulations in place to protect Cassie and they're trying to override my decisions."

"Want me to have a chat with Blake?" he offers nicely.

She narrows her eyes. "If by 'chat' you mean 'beat down', then yes please. Have the _nicest_ chat with him," she responds. As an added thought, she grumbles, "Fucking idiot," in reference to Secretary Blake. Untangling herself from his arms, Sonya walks over to the dresser and grabs a pair of jeans which she angrily shimmies into. It takes a few hops and skips before she's successful. When she turns around to grab a shirt, she sees Johnny staring at her with lustful eyes. "Oh, no you don't," she warns him. He slowly makes his way over to her and traps her between himself and the bureau. "John," she begins.

"You know, you're kinda sexy when you're mad," he tells her as he leans into her personal space, causing her to draw her head back.

"I need to speak with Blake," she tells him with a hand on his chest. "And don't you have your movie to work on today?" He shakes his head (he's lying), closing the distance between them with a kiss to her jaw. "Cage—"

"I just wanna make sure you don't rip him a new one," he informs her as he continues to pepper kisses down her neck. "I can talk to him if you like," he says with a kiss to her cheek. "You barely slept," he continues with a nip to the underside of her jaw. "And you're frustrated, so you need some rest," he concludes by pressing his lips to hers briefly before her warm hands attempt to shove him away again with failed results.

Sonya barely covers up a whimper with a cough as he continues his assault on her skin. "I was the one who requested the time off for Cassie; I should be the one to talk to him."

"Promise not to go ape shit on him?" he asks her.

"Can't promise that," she responds. He reacts by nipping at her earlobe. "Dammit, Cage," she tries to scold him but it comes off as a strangled moan. "Johnny," she says with a sigh as she places her hands on his shoulders, "I promise you, I won't go ape shit on him. Please let me go speak with him."

"Then let me come with," he states decisively as he backs away from her slowly to get himself dressed. She lets out a sigh of relief as she throws an unzipped hooded sweater over her bra, forgetting about her shirt. When they're ready to leave, he looks back at her as they reach the door. "I don't think I approve of you showing your breasts to Blake," he tells her. She glares at him until she looks down and realize she's forgone a shirt. Zipping up her hoodie bitterly, she brushes past him. He seizes the opportunity to pinch her derriere, earning him a smack across the chest.

* * *

"Ms. Blade, Mr. Cage, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Secretary Blake asks them in his office a while later.

Cocking an eyebrow, Sonya starts, "Well, before my _resignation_ ," with an eye roll, "I arranged for… I arranged for Sergeant Cage to have time off with her return to be under the condition that she began therapy. As I'm told, she hasn't done so yet, but she's been re-enlisted?"

Blake leans back on his swivel chair in thought. "Uh, huh. Well, that's not what I'd gathered from General Flagg," he tells her.

Johnny tilts his head slowly towards Sonya, obviously bothered by his new title. "So," Johnny begins slowly, "what _did_ you gather from Flagg?"

"He told me that he was only able to approve 4 weeks PTO and then an extra 4 weeks."

She scowls and Johnny places a gentle hand on her knee. "In other words, Flagg overrode my decision," she states as a fact. Blake gives a noncommittal shrug. "With all due respect, I think there needs to be a change in how soldiers and officers are able to deal with personal trauma," she says. She swallows. "I mean, if police officers and detectives are able to take time off to focus on their well-being, shouldn't militia be allowed the same privileges?"

"I understand your concerns, Sonya," he begins, causing her to pinch her nose in annoyance, "but regulations are just that, regulations. I don't make the rules. I enforce them. And in any case, Sergeant Cage has the choice to allow her tour to expire."

In a moment of rare occurrences, Sonya's jaw drops. Sensing her shock, Johnny speaks up, "She's never gonna let that happen, Blake."

"She'd hate me if I even _breathed_ the idea," she says incredulously. "So, what do you suggest? You'd let her back on the field knowing that there's the possibility that she's already susceptible to PTSD?" She blinks at him, awaiting a response she knows she's bound to disapprove of.

"If anything particularly alarming occurs, I assure you that you and Mr. Cage will be my first calls," Blake tells her in an attempt to smooth things out. It's ineffective; Sonya folds her arms and stares Blake down, and Johnny shakes his head in disbelief.

"Un-fucking-real," Johnny comments bitterly. "Look, she's gonna need therapy. What can we do?"

Tapping a finger to his chin, Blake decides, "I will speak to General Flagg. I will personally make sure she gets any help and support she needs. We just need to deal with Outworld first."

"I can deal with Outworld, Blake," Sonya tells him. "I may not be on commission anymore, but ESD was and will always be my responsibility."

"You know I can't allow that Sonya," Blake tells her. She growls audibly. "As I've stated, you will be my first phone call if anything appears out of the ordinary. Now, if there isn't anything else…"

She stares at him defiantly. "And I know when I'm being dismissed," she tells him with a frown. Standing up, she strides over to the door while Johnny has yet to budge. "C'mon John, we're leaving."

"Blake," Johnny addresses him one last time as he levels a look at him.

Blake throws up a hand in surrender. "It's out of my hands, John," he says.

With a sigh Johnny gets up and joins Sonya by the door. When they leave the office, Sonya buries her head in her hands and screams. "Fucking hell!" she shouts as she walks off, Johnny following close behind. When they get off the base, he grabs her gently by the arms to stop her. "What?!" she snaps at him.

Raising an eyebrow, he releases her arm. "Babe, there's not much we can do."

"After everything I've done for them, _this_ is how I'm rewarded? How did this even happen?!" she shouts, her voice crawling dangerously higher. "I worked my ass off to try to bring down one fucking terrorist organization, a powerful one at that, _especially_ when they drag my daughter into the mix. And they dismiss me and SF won't even help her the way she needs to be helped?!" He sighs, not knowing what to say. "I gave up everything. _Everything_ ," she says shakily as she realizes the magnitude of her sacrifices. "Shit, I've… I've already lost so much Johnny, so, so much." She covers her face again. He folds her into his arms and hugs her tightly which effectively unkinks the hose of her anxiety. "I'm such an emotional shit head," she mumbles.

"No, you're not. You're angry and stressed. You've been through a lot," he tells her while running his fingers through her hair soothingly. "You need a break, babe."

"I don't deserve it," she groans, self-loathing.

He pulls her back to look at her. "Yes, you do deserve it, babe. Even if I have to give it to you," he tells her honestly.

"That's what he said," she chuckles. He does a double take at her innuendo. "What? If I didn't say it, you would've," she says in defense. He laughs at her and hugs her again. "You're the best," she tells him honestly.

"I know," he tells her. She pinches him. "Only for you babe," he amends his statement with a kiss to her forehead.

* * *

 **A/N:** I probably answered one question but raised a dozen more. They will all be wrapped up in little neat bows by the time this fic is over, I promise. Please review as usual. It's greatly appreciated.


	4. Breakeven

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own, sorry. Only the plot and a couple of OC's are mine.

 **Author's Note:** I know I'm probably dragging the plot along, but it'll definitely pick up in a couple of chapters. Hope you guys still are reading and such. Enjoy!

* * *

Johnny did everything in his power to get Sonya to relax over the next week. He booked her a full spa day on Monday. She spent the day on her phone trying to get information from Outworld when she found out D'Vorah was now MIA from protective custody, and when she got home she spent the night beating up both of their pillows. He accompanied her to yoga on Tuesday; she was so wound up from the day before that she pulled her external oblique muscle and spent the whole day in bed on Wednesday complaining about "getting too old for this shit". Thursday, when she was feeling better, she went to the gym to work out all day and had been too exhausted to function later that night. Sonya accompanied Johnny on set again on Friday, which only served to anger her; she'd gotten into an argument with a few of the cast mates and later with Johnny that night at home.

Frustrated, she barked, "no!" at him when he suggested Zumba on Saturday morning.

"Oh, come on," he begs her, poking at her sides, "it's a lot of fun."

She lifts her head from the pillow and looks at him. He smiles at her. "No," she repeats and replaces her head on the pillow. He makes a sound of disapproval. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, honey," she starts gently, lifting her head once more, "but no, thanks. That's for the young, hot college girls."

"You're hot… and almost a college girl," he reasons.

"Conveniently bypassing my lack of being young," she gripes snidely.

"Ugh, you're such a brat," he tells her, turning away from her and folding his arms like a petulant child. "Besides, it's relaxing. Cassie and I used to go all the time."

Sonya sits up and gazes at Johnny. "You?!" she asks in amazement. He nods and smirks, obviously proud of himself. She laughs at him, causing his face to fall. "I'd have never pegged you for a trendy, young dancer." He scowls at her. She bursts into a fit of girlish giggles. "Oh, my God," she says through laughter as he continues to glare at her, "the amazing Johnny Cage shaking his ass like his life depended on it." She wipes her eyes and tries to settle down from her mirth.

"I'll have you know, _Sonya_ , that I happen to be very good at shaking my ass… what the fuck am I _saying_? Jesus, woman, I promise you'll like it. I'll even let you drag me to something I probably won't approve of if you don't like the class," he bargains with her.

"Tempting," she answers him and strokes her chin as if she's really contemplating his offer. "Hmm," she drawls.

"Or are you afraid you're gonna break your hip, old lady?" he teases.

She gapes. "Oh," she says as she pinches him, "you'll pay for that!" She proceeds to chase him around their bedroom.

* * *

"Riddle me this," Takeda asks the group as they walked through the Outworld market, "why are we back here again? Last time I checked, Kotal Kahn and his group of knuckleheads tried to kill us for that stupid amulet."

Cassie narrows her eyes at the memory. "Blame the General," she mutters miserably as Jacqui rolls her eyes.

"I don't think General Blade would've sent us on a semi-suicidal mission. Not like this," Kung Jin chimes in with.

"You're right about that," Cassie snorts. "This was General Flagg's doing." Forgetting he was out of the loop, Cassie mutters, "Fuck my life," at Jin's surprised face with a scowl. "Long story extremely short, Flagg's in charge now." She sighs and drops her head into one of her hands. "Can't believe I'm saying this out loud, but Mom's a saint compared to Flagg."

"Wow," Jin responds with a low whistle.

As they reached a clothing stand, they all waited for further instructions from Flagg. "Flagg told us to wait here while—" Jacqui begins to say before she's interrupted.

"You kids again," the voice says to them. The quartet turns to face the mercenary gun slinger Erron Black. He looked just as smug as they all remembered; he had his hands shoved into the sides of his pants, gun itching to pull out his pistols if necessary. "State your business. And you've got about thirty seconds before I shoot."

"Nice to see you, too asshole," Cassie grumbles miserably.

"Look, we want to be here as much as you want us here, so I'll make this quick for your simple brain," Jacqui says rudely, "we need to see Kotal Kahn. We don't want any trouble; we just want to talk. Take us to him and we'll get out of your precious realm."

He glowers at the four. "And who sent you, Blade?"

Cassie and Jacqui exchange weary looks. "Sure, if that's what you wanna hear," Cassie acquiesces sarcastically.

With an annoyed huff, Erron says, "Follow me."

When they finally make it to the temple, Kotal Kahn is sitting on his throne, thoroughly annoyed at the guests. "Earthrealmers here once again," his voice thunders angrily, "what have I done to the heavens to deserve such an unforgiving punishment?"

Cassie closes her eyes and counts to five in her head. "We've been sent here to—"

"To what, may I ask?" he asks impatiently.

"We've been sent to make a deal with you," Cassie informs him.

Kotal drums his fingers on the armrest of his throne. "I am through bargaining with Earthrealm. It is because of _your_ forces Outworld's defenses are minimal at best."

Kung Jin steps forward, stopping Cassie from interjecting with a swear word. "Kotal Kahn, we understand your concerns over your realm's defenses. We've come as a gesture of good faith to offer up protection in case of an attack from the Netherrealm. Special Forces are willing to assist in any way possible, _if_ you accept our terms."

Looking over to Cassie, he cocks his head to the side. "Is this true? General Blade offers her assistance?"

Thrown off by the question, Cassie intelligently stammers, "Well, uh… she… General Blade is no longer in charge?"

Glowering, Kotal dismisses them with a wave of his hand. "I will only speak to General Blade about this… _offer_ you speak of," he tells them as Osh-Tekk guards begin escorting the four of them out of the temple.

"Wait, wait, hold on," Cassie starts as she snatches her arm away, "we're not done here, Kotal. We've helped you end the rebellion that _we_ had nothing to do with and we let you get away with letting Shinnok's amulet fall into the wrong hands. As I see it, you _owe_ us. You owe it to Earthrealm to let us help you out."

"Escort them away from my sight," he responds as his guards resume pushing them out of the temple.

"Jesus, get your hands off! We're going, we're going," Takeda huffs as he fights his way off. Jin angrily turns around and flips off the temple as Jacqui stomps away.

"So… what the fuck am I supposed to tell Flagg, 'hey, Kotal Kahn doesn't know you, so reinstate Blade'?" Cassie asks herself. Throwing her hands in the air miserably, she leads her team back to the portal.

* * *

The petite blonde receptionist smiles brightly at Johnny when he enters the revolving doors of the yoga studio behind Sonya. "Hey, Mr. Cage!" she greets him warmly with a handshake. "Zumba today?"

Ever the charismatic being, Johnny grins at her. "Yep. Bringing in collateral today. Is that cool?"

"Yeah, totally!" she chirps happily. Looking at Sonya curiously, the blonde says, "Hi, I'm Elsie. And you?"

"Sonya," she states simply as she continues looking around the place. This studio was unfamiliar to Sonya as she was used to the studios back when she was on base. It had a welcoming and young atmosphere to it, serving only to further Sonya's discomfort.

Breaking through her observations, Johnny leads her into the room where a few regulars were stretching and warming up. He spots the Zumba instructor, a brunette with brilliant ocean blue eyes and a swishing ponytail. She was wearing a neon pink sports bra and black Capri yoga pants with a stripe going down the sides the same color as her top. Suddenly, Sonya felt over dressed and bland among these attendees in her camouflage print hoodie, olive green tank top and dark forest green yoga pants. "Hey Leslie!" Johnny calls out to her.

Sonya raises an eyebrow at the pair as the instructor squeals, "Cagey!" Leslie runs over to him and crushes him in a bear hug, which he returns politely. When she lets go, she says, "Where have you been all this time, young man? It's been too long!"

"Eh, you know I've been working here and there. Haven't really had time to come by," he explains. Sonya raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything, though she wants to.

"And what about Cece?" she asks in reference to Cassie.

"Same thing pretty much. She went back on duty a few days ago, which I didn't really approve of, but you know how she can get."

"And how's your ex? You guys still dancing around the awkward nuptial bush?" she asks.

Johnny chuckles nervously when he catches Sonya's disapproving look. "Uh, yeah… about that… uh… we're actually working on things right now," he tells her. "In fact," he continues as he grabs Sonya from the back of the room and pushes her forward, "here's the lovely woman of the hour." Johnny drops a kiss to Sonya's cheek and tells her, "Say hi to the nice girl, honey."

Leslie gives her a once over, impressed by the appearance of the woman in front of her. "Wow, so I meet Mama Blade in the flesh. Johnny's told me so much about you. Great to finally meet you General," she says as she holds out a hand for Sonya to shake, which she does graciously. "You picked a fantastic day to come! You guys are gonna have so much fun!" the brunette chirps and sneaks a look at her watch. "Oh! Gotta start the class now."

When Sonya sees Leslie skip to the front of the room, she slowly turns to Johnny. " _Cagey_?" she asks with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Aw, c'mon babe, she's a young gal, about the same age as Cassie," he defends himself. "You're not… you're not actually je—"

"I dare you to use the 'j' word in front of me and see what happens to you," she warns him. Rolling his eyes, he turns back to the front of the class as they begin their session.

A couple of hours later, Sonya is winded and sweaty, but smiling from the class. It took a few encouraging words from Johnny to reassure her that the class was a no-judge zone, hence why she was able to finally relax and enjoy Zumba. "Okay, that's all you crazy guys and dolls get this week. Next week, we're doing ball room dancing!" Leslie announces. Johnny and the rest of the class whoop and holler loudly. Sonya claps slowly and apprehensively.

Squeezing her shoulder gently, he questions her, "So, what'd you think?"

She smiles at him. "That was actually so much fun," she answers him honestly as they walk out of studio towards their car. "I can't believe I've never tried this before."

"Yeah, Cass and I used to go all the time after…" He falters, not wanting to finish the statement. She looks up at him inquisitively, her smile disappearing from her face. "We used to go a lot," he finishes. He unlocks the car, hesitating by the driver's door.

"Yet another thing I missed out on, huh?" she probes regretfully with a forlorn sigh. She opens the passenger side and slides in, him following after her. She looks out the window.

"I'm sorry for—"

"What do you have to be sorry for? You were just stating an unfortunate fact. There's no need to apologize because _I_ missed out," she tells him. "Besides," she continues while rubbing her hand on his thigh, "I intend on making it up to both of you any way I can." She grips a spot that causes him to jump in his seat. She ogles him naively. He stares back at her. "What?" she inquires, feigning innocence.

"Really?" he says as he laughs. She tilts her head slightly, gesturing to the back seat. "Seriously?" he asks skeptically as she climbs to the seat behind her. "Sonya…" he starts to say before her tank top and bra land in front of him. She runs her fingers through his hair causing him to shudder pleasantly. "Oh, Jesus," he declares, yielding to his current position. "You're a wicked woman, you know that?" he tells her as he climbs in behind her.

* * *

"What's your report, Sergeant Cage?" Flagg demands in his office later that night as Cassie, Takeda, Kung Jin, and Jacqui are standing in front of him.

Cassie and Jacqui share a look. "He called bullshit," Jacqui tells Flagg.

" _Excuse_ me?" he bellows in disbelief, making Takeda and Jin frown at each other.

"Sir," Cassie starts, "Kotal Kahn didn't accept the proposal we've offered."

"And why is that, Sergeant?"

She thinks to herself, _because you're a fuck shit and he'd rather speak to Mom?_ Instead, she plans on lying to him, saying, "Because he…" Then she stops herself. Heaving a sigh, she says as calmly as she could muster, "With all due respect, General Flagg, Kotal Kahn doesn't know you; therefore he doesn't trust us at the moment. He said he'd only accept the terms if they were coming from Blade."

Flagg scowls. "Is he aware that Ms. Blade is no longer part of S-F?" he questions them. Cassie exhales sharply. "Absolutely wonderful," he mutters sarcastically. "Well, I expect you to do what I say as I say it, Sergeant Cage. And I expected better from you Corporal Briggs."

Unappreciative of herself being thrown under the bus in such a manner, Jacqui speaks up with, "General, under former General Blade's command, we have worked with Outworld to retrieve Shinnok's amulet from the rebellion and _we_ were accused of being on the other side. Kotal has little to no trust in S-F specifically based on that fact alone." She shrugs. "Quite honestly, I don't blame him at all. Just about everyone who's ever offered him assistance basically screwed him over. The only person whom he knows has kept their word since the beginning has been General Blade."

Flagg strokes his chin pensively. "Your point is understood, Corporal. But with all due respect, Blade isn't here, and I do not appreciate anyone undermining my authority. We'll regroup at a later time, but I'm stuck cleaning up the mess she made, especially stemming from the Black Dragon incident." At the mention of the incident, Cassie visibly stiffens. "I get that your loyalty lies with Blade; hell, I looked up to her myself. However, I don't think she's the person we should rely on when it comes to Outworld business."

"Listen, Flagg," Jin begins, "General Blade—"

" _Former_ General—" Flagg butts in with.

"— has done the best that she could've. No one really anticipated multiple people double crossing each other for that stupid amulet," Jin continues without missing a beat. "We are merely suggesting that if you really want cooperation from Outworld, we have to go through Blade. That's all."

Flagg glowers at the group. "You are all dismissed for the time being," he decides, ignoring everything any of them have said. "My decision is final; you will go back to Outworld and you will accomplish this mission. I'll be damned if I ask the woman who got her own daughter tortured and nearly beaten to death for her assistance. I'll take my chances." The group gapes at Flagg's admission reprovingly. "Good night," he finalizes with a wave of his hand. They turn to leave the office.

Cassie walks briskly through the corridors seething as Jacqui follows close behind. "Cass, wait up!" Jin tries to call out to her before Takeda stops him with his hand.

"I can't believe the nerve of him!" Jacqui mutters angrily as she chases Cassie down the hall, leaving the boys behind. A few minutes later, she's stopped by her boyfriend. "What?" she snaps at him. "I have to go make sure she's okay."

"I think you need to give her some space," he informs her.

She stares at him angrily. "She is my _best_ friend!" she retorts, "I'm not walking away from her right now; she's not stable!"

"Exactly, Jacqui!" Takeda argues, "you didn't see the look on her face, babe. She's not in her right state of mind, I promise you that."

"Yeah, and what makes you a fucking expert?!" she yells at him while shoving his chest repeatedly.

Takeda frowns at her. "I'm a telepath?" he answers sharply. She finally stops fighting him, having freed her arms from his grip. "Babe," he tries again.

"I can't… I _won't_ leave her alone! She wasn't even supposed to be back on duty yet," she croaks, choking back a sob. "Please let me go." With that, she leaves him and proceeds to her room. When she crosses the threshold, she hears the muffled sobs coming from Cassie. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she sighs heavily. "He's an asshole," she speaks after a few moments of silence, save for a few sniffs here and there from Cassie. "God, I can't believe he went there." Cassie curls up into a ball and yanks Jacqui's blankets over her body. Deciding to give her friend some space, Jacqui says, "I'll sleep on top tonight."

As she starts to stand up, Cassie's hand whips out to grab Jacqui's wrist. "Don't leave me, Jacq," she utters with an occasional hiccup.

Sighing once more, Jacqui tells her, "Gimme a sec," before going off to a corner to change into her sleep clothes. Once she's done, she quickly seizes Cassie's pillow from the top bunk and fluffs it before placing it next to Cassie. She crawls into bed next to her best friend. "Cass?" she addresses her with a yawn.

"I'm fine. Go to sleep," Cassie tells her.

Stifling another yawn, Jacqui says, "I just wanna make sure you're okay."

She sniffles. "I'll be okay. Sleep, Briggs; that's an order."

"As long as you get some sleep as well."

"I will," Cassie promised.

She lied. She didn't sleep at all that night.


	5. On The Mend

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Mortal Kombat in any way, shape, or form. I'm just borrowing the characters for nonprofit.

 **Author's Note:** Consider this part two of the chapter, hence why it's up right now. Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

During breakfast the next day, Cassie's staring into space, only blinking every 30 seconds or so. "Hello! Earth to Cassie!" Takeda tries to get her attention by waving his hand in her face. It goes unnoticed by her, which makes him frown. Turning to Jacqui, he asks, "What happened last night?"

"I dunno," she answers with a sigh. "She's been like this since I woke up." Snapping her fingers in front of her face, she calls out, "Cassie!"

Blinking several times, she turns to Jacqui. "Huh?" she wonders blearily.

Taken aback at her friend's catatonic state, she inquires, "You okay?"

"Uh, huh," is the blonde's response as she slips back into her unmoving state.

A few minutes later, Jin tries to get her attention. "Cass?" he asks, touching her arm softly. Cassie suddenly grabs his wrist and twists it away from her body, causing his fruit bowl to fall off the table with a loud _clack_. Pulling his arm away from her, he wrings his wrist a few times as people begin to turn to the direction of the commotion. "The hell are you all lookin' at?!" he demands and they turn back around.

Alarmed by her behavior, Takeda gently probes Cassie's mind to get an idea of what's happening to her. When he pulls back, he fights the urge to throw up. "What'd you see?" Jacqui asks him.

Takeda holds his head and takes a few deep breaths. _She's having a very vivid flashback_ , he thinks inside of both Jacqui's and Jin's mind.

Jacqui's heart sinks. Turning her attention back to Cassie, she grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her. "Cassie! Snap out of it!"

Having no perception of what's reality and hallucination, Cassie begins to swing her arms wildly repeatedly screaming, "Get off of me!" Trying her best to restrain Cassie, they both fall to the floor, catching the attention of the officers who quickly make their way over to the girls with the intent of breaking them up. Takeda and Jin barely manage to hold the officers back from acting too rashly as they helplessly witness the girls struggling. Pawing at her face, Cassie continues to yell loudly. "Please don't do this to me!" she sobs as Jacqui finally hoists her up by the arms and drags her out of the cafeteria.

"I am not a threat, Cassie. You're safe," Jacqui tells her calmly as she begins leading her to the base infirmary. "You are safe with me, I promise. I'm not trying to hurt you," she speaks as she eases her friend down the hall and knocks on the door to the nurse's station. When the doctor answers the door, she explains the situation. "She's having a very vivid flashback. Please help me."

The elder woman nods and helps Jacqui sit Cassie on the patient bed. As the doctor begins her process of calming Cassie down, Jacqui takes out her phone and dials.

* * *

Fighting the last traces of his slumber, Johnny blinks blearily and scrunches his nose at Sonya's subtle touches with her index finger. She giggles at his confused face when he finally opens his eyes. "Morning, sleepy head," she murmurs softly, dropping her finger.

He grabs her hand and places a sweet kiss on the back. "Morning Sunshine," he responds and pulls her closer to him so their noses are touching each other. "How'd you sleep?"

She covers a yawn with her hand. "I slept great. And you?" she teases, knowing the answer to her question.

He groans. "I barely slept. _Some_ one kept me up all night," he says, squeezing her hips under the covers.

"You're the one who said I couldn't keep up with you," she tells him. She weaves her legs through his and her center finds his bulge. She gives him an Eskimo kiss before planting one on his lips.

He drags his fingernails along the outside of her legs, making her sigh shakily. "I never knew you were such a devious, insatiable nympho. Where have you been hiding?" She laughs again. "Oh, is that funny to you, babe?" he asks her and thrusts upward, turning her laughter into moans.

"God, it's hilarious," she whimpers as he slowly moves inside of her. He flips her on top of him and snakes his hands up and down the length of her back. She leans down to lick a spot on his neck, sealing it with a smooch as he moans.

"You're so amazing," he grumbles, weaving his fingers through her hair.

"Only for you, babe," she replies as she guides his hands to her breasts. Before they can really get into it, Johnny feels a vibrating sensation on his back. When she realizes that he stopped moving, Sonya whispers in his ear, "What's wrong?" Lifting his body slightly, he reaches behind him and pulls out her phone which is vibrating and ringing in his hand. "Ugh, you answer it," she tells him as she nibbles on his earlobe.

Hissing, he presses the answer button and says, "Sonya Blade's phone, Johnny Cage speaking."

"Uncle Johnny?" Jacqui responds when she hears his voice, "you guys gotta come get Cassie."

His heartbeat increases at the tone of her voice. "What's up?" he asks as calmly as he can muster.

Jacqui takes a deep breath. "Cassie's not herself right now. I've been told she's exhibiting slight signs of PTSD."

Turning to his side, Johnny gently eases himself out of Sonya. "How did that happen?" he questions her.

"How'd what happen?" Sonya asks him and he presses a finger to her lips to quiet her, which she kisses.

"I dunno, I mean, she was a little off today at breakfast before roll call, staring into space, and then next thing you know Takeda told me that she was having a vivid flashback and then we almost fought and… I dunno. I think it started from yesterday when Flagg accused Aunt Sonya of leading the masses blindly, so to speak," Jacqui babbles on nervously.

Sitting up at her name being mentioned, Sonya snaps, "I'm accused of what?"

"Flagg said he doesn't trust her judgement anymore because of what happened at the warehouse and he blames what happened to Cassie on her," Jacqui repeats, all of which Sonya hears.

"He did _what_?!" Sonya yells, throwing the covers away angrily and jumping out of bed.

"Babe…" he warns.

"Flagg is a dead man walking. Mark my words!" she says as she struggles to find decent clothing to put on.

Getting out of bed himself, he glances at the clock on his side of the night stand; it's 7:10 am. So much for a lazy Sunday. "We'll be there as soon as possible," he tells Jacqui, who is swallowing her tears over the phone.

"Okay," she says and disconnects the call.

Johnny fumbles with a pair of pants, still half dead to the world of consciousness. "I fucking knew it," he mumbles under his breath.

"She shouldn't have been allowed to go back. I told Blake this already!" Sonya complains as she waits for Johnny to settle himself. She grabs the keys from their dresser and goes downstairs, Johnny following behind her.

* * *

When they get to the base, they go their separate ways; Sonya storms into Blake's office and Johnny makes his way over to the infirmary. "Blake!" she shouts, banging on his office door impatiently. She hears shuffling and the door opens to reveal Blake blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "You sent Cassie and her team to Outworld, knowing that she wasn't ready to deal with them?!" she demands, forcing her way into his office. He backtracks slowly, not ready to incur Sonya's famous temper. "You promised me things would be under control!"

"Now, Sonya," he starts calmly, raising his hands in surrender, "the mission didn't go as planned, true, but that doesn't mean things aren't in control."

"So why the hell is my daughter in the nurse's station, huh? What have you done to her, Blake?" She steps closer to him, making him take a step back. "So help me God, if anything else happens to my daughter on your watch—"

"Your issues aren't with me, Sonya. Talk to your buddy Flagg," he tells her.

"Call him then," she demands once more. Unmoving, he stares at her. "Now!"

Backing into his desk, he calls Flagg's office. "General Flagg, I need you in my office immediately."

Moments later, Flagg steps into Secretary Blake's office apprehensively. "May I wonder why she's here?" he thinks aloud, gesturing vaguely to Sonya.

Sonya growls and walks up to Flagg threateningly. "May I wonder what you said about me? You said it's my fault for the warehouse situation? Is that how you _really_ feel, Flagg?"

"Now, Blade," he starts.

"Oh, don't you try to act like you're fucking innocent! I told _both_ of you Cassie was not ready to go back on the field. Not only did you disobey my wishes, but you actually have the audacity to remind her of what occurred? And then you shift the blame to me?"

"You were the one with vendetta, not me and not Blake!" Flagg tells her.

"My vendetta has _nothing_ to do with it!" Sonya argues.

"Oh yeah?" Flagg starts, "as I recall, _you_ were the one who sent her on the goose chase for Kano. _You_ were the one who got scores of soldiers killed because you had very little information. And _you_ were the one who had to resign from Special Forces, not me Blade. You remember that!" Sonya clenches her fist angrily, trying her best not to strike Flagg down. "I have to wonder if you've ever fucked him before and he screwed you over. I think that's what this is about. Hell hath no fury—"

 _Wham!_ Sonya's fist connects to Flagg's face with so much force he spins around before falling down. Shaking out her hand, she turns to Blake. "You feel that way too?" she asks him threateningly. He shakes his head. "Do me a favor Blake, and do not let me regret our alliance any further. I am taking Cassie home, and she is not coming back until I say so. Got it?" At a loss for words, Blake is only able to give her an affirmative gesture.

Johnny watches as the doctor shines her flashlight into each of Cassie's eyes, noting the reaction of her pupils. "Physically," she begins, "she's responsive to light and sound. Consciously however, is a different story." She clicks off the light and turns to him. "She's in a dissociative state of mind right now. She's aware of reality but has somehow detached herself from it at the moment. Depending on her recent trauma, it's only when someone tries to force her out of it that she becomes hostile, as you've just experienced."

"No kidding," Johnny garbles, his head tilted back. His currently broken nose is a direct result of him trying to get Cassie's attention with a gentle hand on her shoulder. She hadn't taken too well to that and sucker punched him twice in the face. "What can we do, doc?"

Shoving her hands into her coat pockets, the doctor says, "Wait until she snaps out of it?"

Jacqui sighs. "And how long would that even take?" she inquires impatiently.

She shrugs. "Could be hours, could be days. It really depends on the situation, which I do not have all of the information on. Plus, this is just my guestimate. I'm not a psychologist." Jacqui throws her hands in the air. "Physically, there's nothing wrong with her, so she's cleared in that respect. However, until she's able to work through her trauma, I wouldn't suggest she do anything emotionally taxing."

Jacqui pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Okay," she says thinly, "thank you." The doctor nods and leaves the room to give the three of them privacy. "What are we supposed to do?" she asks him, tears streaming down her face.

He shrugs. "I don't know. But thank you so much for staying with her during this time, Jacqui," he tells her gratefully. "Sonya and I don't know what we'd do if you weren't looking out for her the way you are now." Jacqui sniffs, wiping the tears from her eyes.

The door opens and Sonya pushes her way through gently. She looks at Cassie who's staring into space and Johnny who's still groaning from his injury. "Jesus," she mutters in reference to Johnny when she closes the door behind her. "Cassie?" she says softly.

Cassie turns to her mother's voice, blinking repeatedly. "Mom?" she answers. Walking over to her, Sonya gathers her daughter into a hug who sobs into her chest.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, sweetheart," she coos as she runs her hand through Cassie's hair, "mama's here."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry to end this chapter on such a bittersweet note. Things will start picking up for Cassie in these next few chapters. Don't be strangers; leave a review as usual, you know I reply to just about all of them :)


	6. History Repeats

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own it… sorry

 **Author's Note:** Sorry about the long wait. I was struggling on what to do with this chapter; I know I said I was gonna make things a little better, but you know the saying 'things get worse before they get better'? Yeah, that happened… and this took a mind of its own, so let's say this is a filler of sorts and call it square, yeah? Cool. With that said, hope you all enjoy.

* * *

The routine at the Cage household returns to normal this week.

Well, almost.

Cassie's in her bed hiding from the sunlight while Johnny and Sonya are outside of her room having a hushed conversation (Sonya gets the final word this time). The difference this time around is that when Sonya creeps her way into Cassie's room, she sees Cassie moving under the covers. "Hey, kiddo," Sonya addresses her; "I made breakfast?"

Throwing the covers back, Cassie sits up and tosses her phone nonchalantly on the bed. "Hi, Mom," she says with a smile. Sonya holds out the plate of food consisting of a toasted bagel split in half with cream cheese and fresh strawberries spread on each side. Cassie considerably brightens up at the sight, reminiscing on the days when her mom brought her breakfast in bed. "You remember!" Cassie tells her gratefully as she takes a slice of bagel. She gestures to the plate, indicating for Sonya to take the other slice. Sonya accepts with a smile as she gently pushes Cassie's legs aside.

"Thought I forgot?" Sonya asks through a bite as she sits down on the edge of Cassie's bed. Cassie shrugs. "I remember," she starts nostalgically, "that my body couldn't digest anything else but this for months in the mornings when I was pregnant with you. Eating was a nightmare, especially during the last few weeks."

Cassie nods. "I vaguely remember Dad saying something about you threatening to castrate him over a banana milkshake?" She laughs as she takes another bite while Sonya rolls her eyes and groans at the memory.

"Oh, God. I don't know what possessed me," Sonya recalls with a shake of her head. "You know, I actually hate bananas? Oh, man, I'm surprised I didn't scare your dad off." She and Cassie share a laugh. When their laughter dies down, Sonya starts, "Listen, Cass—"

"Uh, oh," Cassie interjects, knowing a serious topic was about to be discussed. It wouldn't be her mom if it weren't.

Sonya frowns. "I… I don't know exactly what happened at that warehouse," she begins carefully, "and truth be told, I'm not sure I _want_ to know." Cassie swallows uneasily. "All I know is that it isn't healthy to keep everything bottled up. I can't force you to attend therapy; I'd be a total hypocrite for that. I just… I just don't want you to make the same mistakes I've made, you know?" Sonya sighs and Cassie nods in understanding. "I buried everything and put it into my career, and looked where it landed me."

"At least you're working on it. Better late than never, huh?" Cassie tells her.

Sonya shrugs. "Maybe so, but I do wish I'd spoken about things sooner." She purses her lips thoughtfully. "Anyways, kiddo, my point is, don't wait too long to open up and get the assistance you need."

"I'll try not to. I have a friend who recommended a place for me, but… I'm just afraid. It was hard enough trying to talk to Jacqui about any of this," Cassie tells her mom somberly. Her phone vibrates and she sneaks a look at the message. Sonya blinks at her, silently giving her permission to answer her phone. Cassie does, and a stupid blush blossoms over her face as she responds to the message. Controlling her reaction quickly, she answers Sonya's silent question, "Just another friend." She puts the phone down and turns back to her breakfast.

Sonya finishes off her slice of bagel and smiles knowingly. "Jacqui doesn't have to be the only friend you confide in, just so you know," she says.

Putting the last bite of her bagel down on the plate, Cassie lightly dusts her fingers of crumbs. "I have a feeling you're alluding to something you think I don't know about?" Cassie asks her.

Sonya gestures again to her daughter's phone on the bed which is vibrating with the notification of another new message. "I don't know what you're talking about, kid," she says with a smirk. Cassie gives her a skeptical look. "I mean, if you like this young man, give him a chance, huh? You never know what can come of it. I would know about unexpected circumstances."

"Yeah, you and Dad are the _perfect_ example," she snorts.

"Yeah well, in my defense," Sonya starts to explain.

"Mmm hmm," Cassie mockingly beckons her to continue as she notices her mother's face steadily getting rosier by the minute.

"See, the thing is… your dad," Sonya sputters as Johnny chooses this opportunity to come in.

Shaking her head, Cassie laughs and says, "Boy, I'd love to hear this story."

"Me, too babe," he says as he folds his arms and gives her a cocky grin. Cassie follows suit, reminding Sonya that she really is her father's daughter.

At a loss for words, Sonya finally says, "Shut up, Cage. Both of you."

* * *

Later on set, Johnny watches the scene unfold carefully. Pointing his sword at his enemy's neck, Jonah, the main character played by James, says, "An eye fer an eye makes the world blind. But yer bloody well deserve a dishonorable death for your treason, mate. Any last words?"

"Ya best keep that pointy stick away from me, Jonah. Hasn't your pop told yer how I cut off his arm?" the enemy Lindon (played by a man named Robin) responds, taking a step back as Jonah takes a step forward.

"Yer don't have the guts, yer poxy land lubber!" Jonah jeers before stepping forward with an animalistic cry.

"Cut, cut, cut!" Johnny yells through his megaphone. They both pause and turn to Johnny. "Jesus," he mutters to himself as he shakes his head. "James, _dude_. We've been over this, man." James rolls his eyes. "You're not supposed to point your sword at his neck. You gotta bum rush him, starting the melee between the two groups." Pinching his nose in frustration, Johnny says, "Take it back from your last line…" Heaving an annoyed grunt, James shakes his head and waits for Johnny's go. "Action!"

"Yer don't have the guts, yer poxy land lubber!" he cries as he lunges for the older man who has whipped out his sword in preparation. They begin their choreographed fight sloppily with James almost losing his balance. When both men fall and roll around on the floor, James struggles to keep his hands interlocked together as Sonya taught him the previous week.

James accidentally slips and the prop sword narrowly misses impaling his neck. "CUT!" Johnny yells, jumping out of his chair. Gripping his hair, Johnny grumbles to himself. "This isn't working out," he mumbles.

"What'd you say, Mr. Cage?" Robin asks him.

"I _said_ this isn't working out. I hate this fight scene and I hate this part of the script. It's cheesy and predictable and… I'm gonna kill my agent for this bullshit," he rants.

"No shit," James tells him.

Already angered, Johnny slowly turns to him. "What'd you say?"

"I said 'no shit', Johnny. It's clear how much you loathe this script. You know what? I can't work under these conditions!" James takes off his bandana and continues his rant. "I'm James fucking Townshend; I can get work whenever I need to with better pay, a better script, and a director that actually knows what the fuck he's doing instead of winging the shit," James bemoans to Johnny. Flabbergasted, Johnny gapes at him as Robin wisely backs away.

"Okay, lemme tell you something kid," Johnny starts as he gets in James's face, "if you're such hot shit, why did your agent practically _beg_ me to put you onto this project?" Before James can retort, Johnny continues, "Oh yeah, that's right, because you need the work, _and_ the money, and oh, my name on the credits as well," he tells him, ticking off each point with a finger. "So don't give me an attitude, got it?"

"I wouldn't need to give you an attitude if you did what you're supposed to do, old man," James tells him, shoving him away.

Narrowing his eyes, Johnny says, "You _didn't_ just do that."

"I know all about you, Cage. The dried up, used up, fake action star who uses CGI and special effects just to look a little bit legit. Two failed marriages, wannabe 'combat' champion trying to get into the army just to stalk his baby mama."

The rest of the cast steps away from Johnny as his fists begin to glow green. "Fake action star? Wannabe combat champion? I hope you're not serious because that would be stupid. You better watch it!"

"Or what, you're gonna hit me with your 'shadow kick'?" James taunts him doing the quote gesture. "I dare you, _grandpa_!" He gives Johnny another shove.

 _An hour later…_

Johnny hisses unpleasantly at the sting of the rubbing alcohol making contact with his skin. "Oh, shut up, John!" Sonya snaps at him, throwing the cotton swab away. Grabbing another one, she continues to dab at the cut above his orbital bone. "It's your own fault," she berates him. He tries to swat her hand away. "Dammit, John, stop!" she demands.

"Be gentle!" he whines.

Sonya throws the new Q-tip on the floor and folds her arms. "I'm ignoring you, now." She picks up a cloth and gently cleans around his other cuts and bruises.

"It isn't my fault by the way," he defends himself after a few awkward moments of silence. Her eyes rotate to the ceiling in exasperation. "He was being a little dick. He starts going off about my effects not being real and shit."

"So you decide to engage in combat with the kid to prove a point," she says, deadpan. He nods. "Am I hearing you right?" she asks him, disapproving of his broken nose again. When he doesn't answer her, she shakes her head. "That's not an excuse, John. You should've known better."

"Yeah? And what's this I hear from Blake about you knocking Flagg into next week?" he challenges her with his arms folded.

Halting her movements, she places a hand on her hip. "That is not _even_ on the same wavelength!" She begins ticking off the points with her free hand, "One, he blames me for everything that transpired at that stupid warehouse in Thailand; two, he's the one who caused Cassie to go into a dangerously dissociative state; and three, he accused me of being romantically involved with fucking Kano."

"So, you punched Flagg because he accused you of being with Kano?" he asks her in the same deadpan tone of voice as her, clearly mocking her.

She growls. "Out of everything I've _just_ told you, again you choose to focus on the stupidest, most inconceivable… I mean, sure, Cassie's okay thanks for asking—"

"Were you?" he interjects petulantly.

Sonya glares at him for interrupting her. "Was I what?" she demands to know.

"Involved with Kano?"

She gapes. "Have you lost your mother fucking _mind_?!"

Sarcastically, he quips, "Sure didn't answer my question…"

"Absolutely not! God, I can't believe you'd even ask me that!"

"Good. Just so we're on the same wavelength, _you_ punched Flagg because he accused you of things that weren't true; I kinda sorta engaged in 'combat' as you so eloquently put it because _I_ was accused of things that aren't true. We're just as guilty. Case closed," he states.

"Case reopened: _not_ the same thing!"

"Pot, meet kettle," Johnny bitterly says. Sonya glares at him. Without warning, she resets his nose, hearing a crunch. "FUCK!" he howls as she cleans the last remnants of dried blood from his nose harshly. "The fuck was that for?"

"I'm fixing your stupid nose," she retorts nastily. "You're welcome." Dropping the cloth back into its basin, she stomps out of his trailer angrily.

"Where are you going?" he calls after her. She ignores him. "Sonya!" He hears the door slam shut. "Dammit Sonya!"

* * *

"Been a while since you drank here, Johnny boy," Moe McDougal, the bartender at McDougal's Pub and Grille, states that afternoon when he notices Johnny sitting at the bar with his hair in his hands. Johnny nods. "What can I get ya?" the older man asks.

"Cranberry juice. My ex-wife is giving me an ulcer," he says with a bitter laugh.

Moe cocks an eyebrow at him. "Heavy on the vodka?" he questions jokingly. Nevertheless, Johnny gets served his cranberry juice on the rocks. "Last I heard, you two love birds were thinking about working things out?"

"Yep," Johnny answers with a sip of the tangy beverage. He grimaces at the taste, forgetting he absolutely despises cranberries. "One minute, everything's all hunky dory with us. The next minute, we're back to arguing like cats and dogs." Shaking his head, Johnny continues, "I knew it wouldn't be easy, I get that. But fuck, I didn't think it'd be this difficult either." He swirls the glass in his hands, seriously contemplating asking for a side of alcohol.

"You ever considered getting outside help?" Moe asks him politely as he watches Johnny finger the contents of the glass. Johnny looks up at him and frowns. "Maybe there are things that you both need to work out in terms of what went wrong before you can work on making things right, you know?"

Johnny rubs a hand over his face. "I didn't wanna go that far," he tells the bartender.

"Maybe you should if you really want things to work between you and your lady," Moe tells him. He watches Johnny struggle to take another sip of the cranberry juice. Feeling sorry for him, Moe makes Johnny a new drink: a shot of Jack Daniels straight.

He stares at the drink before him. Tempted, he takes the glass and put it to his lips. He changes his mind, setting it down again. "She'll never agree to see a shrink," he says with a somber sigh.

"I wouldn't call it that, mate," Moe explains, "think of it as… another resource, maybe an anchor of some sort."

"I'm telling you, she'll call bullshit on me," he replies. Tired of going back and forth in his head, he finally downs the shot of whiskey in one go. He rubs his eyes again and huffs. "Gimme another," he decides, gesturing to his now empty shot glass, an order Moe complies with.

When Johnny crawls into bed later that night, he lies still and stares at the ceiling. Sonya's on her side with her back towards him. He knows she's awake; she's subtly rubbing her feet together, something she does when she's in deep thought. He won't address her first, so she bites the bullet. "You've been at McDougal's," she tells him.

He snorts. "What gave me away?"

"You smell like whiskey," she answers. He groans. "Look, you can do whatever you like, but if you expect us to work out, John—"

"Not this again," he whines. He sits up. "I'm sorry I'm stressed out? This is my way of unwinding."

She turns to him. "But it isn't _healthy_. You could seriously hurt yourself," she says with worry laced in her voice.

His rebuttal is, "Bottling things up isn't healthy, but you don't see me getting on your case about it."

Sonya snaps her body up and faces him. "Seriously?" They stare each other down for a few moments. "This is not about just me or just you. This is about _us_ trying to work things out. I've apologized and I'm holding myself accountable for what I've done; I'm trying to make amends. You should at least do the same."

"I don't tell you how to live your life," he begins, making her pinch the bridge of her nose angrily, "so you should probably quit telling me what I should do with mines."

"Is this what I get for being concerned about you?"

"Oh, you're _concerned_?" he mocks bitterly. The alcohol is affecting his mentality and better judgement. "We're done talking, or arguing, or whatever the fuck that was just now. Goodnight." He lies back down, turning away from her so he's unable to see her trying to keep her tears at bay. After a minute or so, she sighs shakily and plops her head on the pillow, willing herself to sleep. When he thinks she's sleeping, he gets up from the bed and makes his way downstairs to the kitchen. He sits down by the island counter and rubs his eyes. _She has a point_ , he thinks to himself. At least Sonya attempted to care about his liver, unlike his _other_ ex-wife.

* * *

" _Another one on me, buddy!" Johnny shouted belligerently to the bartender, causing the bar to cheer for him. He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend – no, fiancée Cindy and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. She giggled and snuggled into him. "How you doin' baby?" he asked her._

" _I'm great," she responded and held out her drink for him to sip. He does and looks at the drink. "Sex on the beach," she answered his silent question._

" _Oh, I got your sex on the beach all right," he told her, planting kisses over her neck._

" _Save that for the honeymoon, baby. We are gonna get so wasted when we get to Cancun, I swear," Cindy told him with a squeal. He grinned before leaning down to kiss her sweetly on the lips, which turns into an embrace so passionate the bartender bangs his hand on the counter repeatedly. When they break apart, she giggles again. "Sorry Moe," she said. Turning to Johnny, she said, "Can we go now?"_

 _Johnny stared at her full, pouting red lips and smirked. "Anything for you, babe," he answered her. Dropping a wad of cash on the counter, he helped Cindy stand up and they hailed a cab back to Johnny's condo._

 _Half an hour later, they stumble into the apartment clumsily, trying to take each other's clothes off. They knocked over his table lamp and it fell to the floor with a deafening crash. After cringing at the sound, the two love birds laughed and toppled onto the couch, still making out like horny high school seniors. When Cindy lowers herself down his body, Johnny groans in anticipation as she whips out his member from his pants. "Fuck yes," he cried out when she starts working him with her mouth. A few seconds later though, she began dry heaving, which then turned into her throwing up all over the floor. "Oh, my God. Are you okay?" he asked her as he sat up. She groans in response as the smell of vomit and alcohol finally assaulted his nose, resulting in him also throwing up rather violently._

* * *

In the morning, he finds himself still sitting on the island counter with his head down. The familiar feeling of bile rising up to the surface has Johnny breathing heavily. At least when he's hungover, Sonya takes care of him undeniably, though he doesn't expect her to, not after the way he treated her last night. So he's surprised and wary when he feels a couple of sharp taps on his shoulder. He slowly looks up to face his daughter staring at him in disbelief. "Hey Punkin," he struggles to say evenly. She narrows her green eyes at him. "I know, I know," he responds to her silent scrutiny.

"Yeah, he's alive," she says, turning her head to the direction of the couch. He blinks when he sees Sonya rise from the couch and walk over to him.

Sonya wraps his arm around her shoulder and heaves a sigh as she helps him up. She guides him to the couch and tells Cassie, "Get me a wash cloth with cold water, some ibuprofen, and a ginger ale." Turning back to Johnny, she shakes her head at him. "You're such an ass, John Carlton."

"Ouch, she used your government on you, Dad," Cassie jeers as she places the ginger ale on the coffee table. "You're in a lot of trouble."

Holding out her hand to receive the bottle of Advil, Sonya states, "Wash cloth, Cassie?" Cassie huffs but goes back into the kitchen to retrieve the item her mother has asked for. Sonya fluffs the pillow behind Johnny carefully and pops open the ginger ale. "Drink," she demands as she tumbles two pills into Johnny's hand. He does what she says without a problem. When he does, she stares at him. "Talk," she snaps at him.

"What do you want me to say?" he drawls.

"Well," Cassie begins as she laid the cloth over Johnny's forehead, "for starters, an apology would suffice."

"Not now S— uh, Cassie," Sonya tells her daughter. She whispers a curse under her breath. "Thank you, Cassie," she tries again.

"Not a problem," she replies as she slips a head bud into her ear.

Before she can reach the door, Sonya's voice cuts through the air sharply with, "Where are you going?"

Cassie whirls around with an eyebrow raised. "Uh, I'm going for a run? I thought you knew that."

"Right, I forgot. Be safe," Sonya tells her. Cassie nods and leaves, closing the door gently. Turning back to Johnny, she folds her arms, waiting for him to speak. "Well?" she asks.

"I hate the dialogue in the movie and James is fired," Johnny explains. "And I'm sorry, baby," he says when she doesn't respond to his rant. Her face softens considerably. "What do you think I should do?"

"Take a break and clear your head," she answers. He sighs. "Look, I get it; you're under a lot of pressure to get this movie out, especially with that kid making it difficult for you. But you seriously need a moment to yourself. One that doesn't include a shot of whiskey, or vodka, or alcohol in general. It doesn't solve your problems."

"It makes me forget," he reasons as he struggles to sit up.

She pushes him down gently and says, "Now you know that isn't the way to go, John."

He moans miserably. "I know. I just… I just can't…" he struggles to say before he swallows. Without missing a beat, Sonya helps him sit up and shoves a bucket under his face, which he throws up into. When he's finished emptying the contents of his stomach, he groans again. "This, I don't miss."

"What, me helping you, or you hacking up a lung?" she lightly teases him.

"Well, both maybe?" She patiently waits for him to explain when he visibly cringes at his choice of words. "I mean, I don't miss being hungover and you having to take care of me because I decided to be an irresponsible sack of shit."

She shrugs. "It comes with the territory," she tells him. She sets the bucket down and moves to sit next to him on the couch. "I signed up for this on my own volition. Twice, I might add. What I didn't sign up for however, is watching you fall apart over someone's insignificant opinion, you know? I mean, if he said something that hit home, then I can understand."

He swallows a sip of ginger ale thoughtfully. "He said that I and I roughly quote, 'joined the military just to stalk his baby mama'. That among other things like me failing at marriage, twice I might add."

Sonya blinks in surprise. "He said that?" He nods. "Ouch," she sympathizes, "I… I had no idea. I'm really sorry, darling." She vaguely wonders if James is related to Flagg. "You know what Flagg said to me? Flagg said that I let my vendetta get in the way of my judgement and that's what caused Cassie…" she stops herself, swiping away an angry tear. "And then he implied that I was one of Kano's jilted lovers." She laughs at the absurdity of it all. "So, I think he was asking for it. Not that I condone my actions, but… yeah."

"Understandable," he says gravely. She guides him to the bucket again and he throws up again. "Ugh, I need to go on set today."

She shakes her head. "You need rest." She sniffs the air and adds, "And a long, hot shower." He gives her a wry look. "Honey, rest okay? I'll figure something out with your movie."

"Don't you start classes next week?" he asks her.

"Yeah, so? I'm still gonna help. It's the least I can do."

He smiles weakly at her, fighting yet another wave of nausea. "You're the best, you know that?"

She caresses his cheek tenderly. "So I've been told," she says as she sadly recalls a time when she's been told the same thing in a very similar situation. She gets up and goes into their bedroom. She sits on the bed and allows the memory consume her, burying her face in her hands and sobbing helplessly.

* * *

 **A/N:** Questions, comments, and/or concerns? Review! I appreciate them. :)


	7. Repairing Fences

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Mortal Kombat or anything you recognize. I only own the plot and a special character who makes his reappearance.

 **Author's Note:** Lots of new changes are gonna happen with the Cage family. And as aforementioned, I'm bringing back my OC from the last fic. Hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

 _Annoyed at having been jolted awake from her impromptu nap, Cassie immediately went into a defensive position, despite her sitting down at her computer desk with her headphones inserted in each ear. When she finally managed to settle down, she jiggled her mouse to wake up her computer from its hibernation mode to find a message from her family's worst enemy in her Friendships inbox. "Hello, there blondie," he wrote in a message._

 _Disgusted, she responded with, "What do you want, scumbag?"_

" _Oi! You ought to be a little nicer to me, hey? Was just passing down and saying hello. I didn't know yer ma n' pa decided to get back together. How sweet that is," he replied back._

" _You leave my mother alone!" she wrote back, angrily clicking the X button on the chat. It popped back up with his response, which she decided to ignore in favor of her phone ringing. The caller ID on her phone showed a blocked number. She did a double take at her phone, opting to answer it warily in case she was receiving a call about a new mission from the base; Sonya sometimes called off the radar if she needed things to be hush-hush. "Sergeant Cage," she answered her phone curtly._

" _Turn around," the voice on the other line told her._

 _Cassie scowled at the rude demand. "Excuse me?" she snapped._

" _Turn around," the voice repeated, closer to her ear than she would have liked._

 _She bristled. That voice… that annoyingly creepy voice, made her blood boil. It was in that moment she finally understood her mother's rage towards the man on the other end. Irritated, she barked, "I don't know how you got my number, but I am not in the mood for your games!" Preparing to hang up the phone, she turned around and was greeted with a jab to her face…_

* * *

Cassie jerks awake on her computer chair, her heart beating fast. A loud ping erupts from her computer, causing Cassie to push herself away from her computer. Slightly frightened, she internally debates between checking her monitor and bolting from her room in panic. She takes a shaky breath, scoots back towards her computer, and toggles it awake. Her heart is still galloping in her throat when she clicks on the tab with her Friendships page open. Staring at the computer screen, relief and slight annoyance floods through her. She types up a response to the person messaging her:

 **CassieCage:** Fuck dude, you scared the living shit out of me! I was sleeping…

A new message pops up, eliciting a marginal smile from Cassie.

 **YuriKukriMaster:** Hopefully you've fought back? Nothing, not even dreams, better mess with Cage ;)

 **CassieCage:** If only it were that easy…

Cassie sighs again.

Eleven weeks. It's been eleven weeks since her real life nightmare shook her to the core. No matter how much she tried to fight them off with either meditation or lack of sleep, she couldn't shake the feelings away. They scared her because no one, not even Jacqui, really understood the extent of the carnage left behind by her otherwise unfaltering spirit. She was a broken bird; the only person she felt was capable of repairing her metaphorically broken wings was the very same person who was an indirect witness to said wings being clipped. And that person was thousands of miles away.

 **CassieCage:** What time is it over there anyways? Don't you have meditating to do? Lol

 **YuriKukriMaster:** One, it is 5:30 in the morning; and two, no; I do not have to meditate however, I should be in training right now. I just wanted to say good afternoon.

Cassie smiles at the message, her face blossoming into a rosy color even she could not contain.

 **CassieCage:** Didn't know you were a fan of those cheesy, sappy 'good morning' messages.

 **YuriKukriMaster:** I'm merely being polite, ma'am.

She blushes even further at his teasing. Jesus, when was the last time she was reduced to a blushing school girl?

 **CassieCage:** I'm not complaining at all; I think it's adorable. In any case, good morning to you, Master Ogawa.

 **YuriKukriMaster:** Ha. And good afternoon to you, Sergeant Cage. Drink some chamomile tea. It should aid you in your quest to find peace once more… or at least attempting to.

 **CassieCage:** I'll remember that. Let me know when you're finished training and all that.

 **YuriKukriMaster:** I shall. Sayōnara

 _ **YuriKukriMaster**_ _has logged off._

Cassie genuinely giggles a first in many weeks. Closing the message tab, she gets up and makes her way downstairs to make some tea as suggested by her… friend, or crush? While downstairs, she encounters her father sitting down on a stool by the island counters with papers scattered over the surface. "Afternoon, Daddy-o!" she chirps happily.

Johnny looks up from his reading glasses and raises an eyebrow at her. "Uh, afternoon Princess," he addresses her wearily, exhaustion seeping into his bones, "you're in a good mood today."

She nods and takes out a coffee mug from the cabinet. She opens another to grab the box of chamomile tea. "Yeah, I've been feeling sorta better lately," she tells her dad, another smile playing on her lips. "Want some tea?" He shakes his head and squints at the script in his hands. Cassie turns to see him staring at the manuscript a mere three inches from his face. "Dad, you're gonna strain your eyes doing that."

Johnny slides the glasses over his head and rubs his eyes. "You sound like your mother, but you're right. I need to get this done though."

"Dude, why don't I just help you change things?" she tells him while turning on the stove under the kettle.

"How?" he asks her, on the verge of ripping his script up into tiny shreds.

She shrugs. "Haven't you read my short stories? They're amazing, I'm just saying," she brags, making Johnny chuckle at her conceit. Cassie sits down next to her dad and holds out a hand. He places the manuscript in her hand, curious to see what she'll do. She takes a look at the page where Johnny left off and frowns. "This... this is actually... is this for real? Who wrote this shit?" Johnny shrugs. "Yeah, no, this needs an overhaul. This page especially. It's cheesy and predictable-"

"That's exactly what I said!" Johnny agrees. They share a small smile. "So, can you help an old man out? Before I punch my actor again?"

Cassie laughs. "Of course, Dad. I'll make miracles happen," she tells him with a pat on the shoulder.

* * *

"Sonya Blade?" the student receptionist calls her at the registration office. Sonya looks up from her folder and walks over to the counter. "Everything looks in order for your classes next week."

"Did my financial aid go through?" Sonya questions the girl. She makes an affirmative noise. "And I'm fully registered? What about my transcript?"

She looks at the screen again. "Yep, it's all in order," she confirms. Sonya takes a deep breath and nods. "First time in school?"

"Yeah, something like that," Sonya responds. "It's been ages since my old school days. That's what joining the services will do to a person."

The undergrad raises a curious eyebrow. "You served? Impressive. What branch did you enlist under? What was your rank?" When Sonya counters her questions with an eyebrow hitch of her own, the girl flusters under her stare. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I'm just curious."

"That's fine. I was a general in the army, Special Forces," Sonya tells her. The girl's jaw drops. Sonya nods. "Thanks again for your help," she says, quickly making her way out of the building and into Johnny's jaguar. Nervous about starting classes, Sonya sits in the car for a long time, rethinking her decision to enroll. "This won't be high school, Blade. Get a grip," she mutters to herself.

Yet, she can't help the pang of loneliness that hits her heart. The last time she'd been at school, she was with her twin brother. _So many losses_ , she thinks to herself morosely. Shaking her head, she puts the keys in the ignition and starts the car with the intent of heading home.

When she gets back, she notices Cassie sitting in the kitchen with the same bunch of papers Johnny was working on surrounding her. Some were scattered in the floor as well, making Sonya frown. Cassie looks up from her work, pencil in hand. "Hey Mom," she greets.

"Hey..." Sonya answers apprehensively. She closes the door behind her and walks closer to the living room. "What are you doing?" she asks, genuinely curious.

Cassie shakes her head, and says in a disgusted tone, "Fixing this piece of shit Dad's agent gave him. I swear it's like he _wants_ to ruin his fucking life." She scribbles something on the page she's working on before turning the page.

Ignoring Cassie's language, she asks, "Are you planning on rewriting the whole script?"

"Ew, fuck no," Cassie replies. She takes a moment to reevaluate her answer. "Well, I just might actually do that, with the way this is going. I'm just working on one scene at a time."

Sonya walks even closer to her, sitting on the stool next to her. "I didn't know you could write," she says softly.

Cassie nods. "Yeah, I'm pretty decent at it. I took it up as a hobby in high school," she tells her. Sonya purses her lips thoughtfully; she had no idea what Cassie did in high school besides expressing her interest in the military. "I wrote a couple of articles for the newspaper."

"Oh yeah?" Sonya asks brightly, a smile appearing on her face. She's interested in knowing more. "Have I read any of them?"

Cassie shrugs. "I dunno. I left you a copy of my featured stories on your desk a couple of times. You tell me."

Sonya's smile falls from her face. She probably dismissed them as impertinent and stuffed them somewhere. Maybe she'll check her duffle bag soon. "Well, I trust you'll do the script more than enough justice," she tells Cassie.

Cassie looks up at her and smirks. "Of course I will," she boasts, prideful. Sonya chuckles. "So, you excited about school?"

Sonya snorts. "No." Cassie shakes her head. "I mean... I don't know. How am I supposed to feel surrounded by young, carefree adults, some who would have just graduated high school?"

Cassie sets the manuscript on the table and turns to her mother. "Are you actually nervous?" she asks incredulously.

Sonya scowls. Then, she softens up. "Probably. It'll be like joining the military all over, starting at the bottom of the food chain again as a private." Shaking her head, Sonya continues, "It just... it's going to be weird for me, you know? Over half of my life was in the army, with most of that time being in S-F."

Cassie scrunches her lips in thought. "I'm sure it's weird trying to adjust to life as a civilian again. But you'll be fine, Mom. And if you don't feel like it'll be, you have us to help you out." Cassie pats Sonya's hand tenderly, earning herself a smile.

"And you have me as well," Sonya responds. Cassie leans her head on Sonya's shoulder. They share a long moment of silence until Sonya realizes how quiet the house really is. "Cass? Where's your father?"

Lifting her head, she looks around. "He said he'd be back later," she says.

* * *

"I might just have to cut you off, Johnny boy," Moe tells him while wiping the counter down with his tattered rag. Johnny closes his eyes. "What's wrong this time?"

Johnny swallows another large mouthful of scotch. "My movie," he says.

Before he can launch into his story with Moe, a woman on the left side of Johnny clears her throat and rasps, "Still making movies, huh?"

Johnny spares her a quick, annoyed glance before turning back to his drink. He does a double take when he realizes who the woman is. " _Cindy_?" he asks in shock.

Her throaty laugh makes Johnny cringe inwardly. "In the flesh," she answers as she takes a drag from her cigarette. "How are ya?"

Johnny takes in her appearance: curly hair styled into a short bob, droopy brown eyes with bags underneath, a slouchy shirt exposing her unnaturally protruding clavicle bones, and her cigarette in one hand. "I'm fine. And yourself?" he asks her courteously.

"Been surviving; I'm retired, so I've had time on my hands. So, you're still making movies, action boy?" Johnny nods. "Ahh, of course," she replies. She takes a sip of her drink and nods at Moe for a refill. "How's that little girl of yours? She got a birthday comin' up, doesn't she?"

"Yep," he answers. Eyeing his drink, he subtly pushes it away. It was awkward to be seen in the same place as his first ex-wife after over 30 years, especially considering this is where their tumultuous relationship began.

Not wanting to force a conversation with her, he stands up to grab his wallet from his back pocket. While he's dropping money on the counter, Cindy speaks up, "I know I'm the last person you wanna see, but I can't forget a man like you, Carlton." He pauses and turns to her. "Can't deny we had some great times," she continues with a wink that makes Johnny's insides uncomfortably do the twist. "We should catch up soon," she tells him.

Raising an eyebrow, he says, "Maybe." He pats her shoulder once and leaves the bar. He gets outside and shudders at the strange encounter. "Jesus," he mutters to himself, briefly questioning his sanity. Thinking he shouldn't have gone drinking in the first place, he starts his long walk home. He remembers all the times his nasty habits have gotten him into trouble as he shuffles along the boardwalk.

 _It's probably why she didn't feel comfortable talking to me_ , Johnny thinks to himself about Sonya. He thinks of all the times she tried to talk to him, only to realize he was half-listening because he was fighting off another hangover. Yeah, she may have needed a nudge every once in a while, but she also needed to know if he'd be there. It was right then and there he decided he'd give her the push she wanted; he just needed her to trust that he'd make more of an effort to listen wholeheartedly without the effects of alcohol coursing through his system. Seeing Cindy in the bar was his wakeup call. He wanted—no, he _needed_ to change on his end if he wanted things to work out between him and Sonya.

Johnny finally arrives back home to find Cassie stacking papers in the living room and Sonya in the kitchen fixing dinner. "Hey ladies," he addresses them both, gently closing the door.

Cassie looks up at him and smiles. "Hey Dad," she greets, standing up to face him. He gives Cassie a hug and ruffles her hair playfully. " _Dad_!" she whines when he lets go.

He then walks over to the kitchen and stands behind Sonya. He places his chin on her right shoulder and wraps his arms around her waist. She tilts her head so his lips are pressed to her neck. He inhales deeply, basking in her warm, honey scent. "I've missed you, beautiful."

She's about to correct him until she takes a moment to realize the depth of the words in his voice. With a content sigh, she replies, "I've missed you too, darling." They stay in their current position for a few minutes as he listens to the sound of the pan sizzling.

Johnny missed this feeling; she made him feel safe and welcome, despite the hardships they've faced in their relationship. He had grown as a person; no longer was he the arrogant, reckless, irresponsible heart throb after his chance meeting with Sonya in the first Mortal Kombat tournament. And he'd do anything to hang on to this feeling. Completely lost in his thoughts, Johnny is startled when Sonya clears her throat and calls his name softly. "Yeah?" he answers dreamily.

"The steaks are gonna burn," she tells him with a laugh. Unpeeled his arms from her softly, she turns back to the stove to continue basting the steaks in the pan. Cheeks reddening from his stare, she turns back to him and says, "Go set the table, you."

"Yes, General," he teases while saluting her. She scoffs at him playfully.

* * *

After dinner, Cassie decides to hang out with her team, leaving Johnny and Sonya to their own devices for the night. After some deliberation, the pair of them opts to play a classic game of 'I Declare War' with a twisted rule. Sonya throws down a king of diamonds while Johnny's card ends up being the king of spades. "Not again!" Johnny groans. Sonya's face turns sinister. "I think you're a cheater."

"And you're a sore loser, dear," she tells him with an evil giggle. "Let's go." They each put down four cards while chanting the phrase 'I declare war'; the first three cards are face down and the fourth card has to be face up. Sonya's last card is a ten of clubs while Johnny's card is the three of clubs. "Ha!" she shouts triumphantly as she scoops up the cards and add them to her pile. Looking at him with a mischievous glint in her green eyes, she clears her throat. "Are you forgetting something?" she informs him. He stares at her. "C'mon Cage..."

"Dammit, Sonya," he grumbles before he takes off his wife beater and throws it at her. She laughs again and sets it aside. "I do not agree with these conditions, just so you know."

" _You_ came up with these conditions," she reminds him. She places a 7 of spades down while he places down a 2 of clubs. They both reach for the two cards at the same time. "Excuse me Johnny—"

"Babe no, I said deuces _aren't_ wild. Give me," he argues with her. She holds on to the cards while he tries to pry them away from her. "Baby..." he says while giving her a look. Petulantly, she lets go of the cards with a pout. "Thank you, Miss Blade."

"Meanie," she retorts and sticks out her tongue at him.

"Real mature," he teases while placing down a jack of diamonds. She places down a jack of hearts. He growls. "I declare war," he says while throwing his cards on the bed, the fourth card being another king, this one a heart. She does the same and reveals her fourth card to be a queen of hearts. "How appropriate," he says as he scoops the cards up from the bed. Her bra gets shoved in his face. She folds her arms over her chest.

After a few more tense showdowns with him winning three out of four, Johnny spreads his arms wide at her while boasting his bigger pile. "You give up, or do you wanna redeem yourself?"

Sonya covers herself with her hands. "Oh shut it, Cage."

"I take that as a no, so give it up," he tells her.

"I yield!" she shouts, throwing her cards in the air. He grins at her. Without warning, he pounces on her, semi tackling her to the bed as more cards are scattered and fall to the floor. "We're not playing '52 pick-up'."

He pins her wrists to the bed above her head as he straddles her waist. "So, you didn't think I'd win, huh?" he taunts her.

"I had a brother, Johnny; I still think you're still a cheater," she gripes sorely.

He leans down and presses a kiss to the tip of her nose. "Is that so? Because I think you owe me something." He nips at her neck, making her moan and arch her back into him. Kissing his way down, his tongue finds her breasts and he licks her softly.

She wraps her legs around his waist and grinds into him. "Get it yourself," she tells him, expertly sliding his boxers downward with her feet. Still licking and sucking on her nipples, he pulls her panties off and feels how moist she is. "Fuck," she mutters when two fingers press on her clit. She grabs the back of his neck and clutches it tightly as he gently bites her. Another moan escapes her and he chuckles at her predicament.

"Mmm hmm," he teases her with a cocky grin on his face. He releases her nipple and slowly kisses her, his tongue battling for dominance with hers. When they break apart, he stares into her beautiful eyes. "Love you babe," he tells her.

"Love you too, honey," she says, grabbing the back of his head to pull him down for another kiss. "Oh, by the way," she interrupts with, "I've got some new positions we can work into the old routine."

Johnny grins at her. "Oh yeah?" he asks her, genuinely interested.

Sonya flips them both over. "Yeah, taking a page from the Cage playbook," she responds.

Damn, he loves this woman.

* * *

 **A/N:** Let me know your thoughts as usual! Reviews are always appreciated.


	8. A Clean Slate

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Mortal Kombat or anything you recognize.

 **Author's Note:** Just giving a shout out to a guest reviewer **TheJudicatorr**. Ha ha for getting the reference; I'm glad you picked up on that! Thanks for reviewing!

Without further ado, here's the new chapter.

* * *

It's supposed to be Sonya's first day of classes and her day is already turning to shit. "Fuck, I can't find anything to wear!" Sonya swears as she digs into her duffle bag. Despite being home for almost three months, she has yet to shop for new clothes since being in Special Forces hardly required civilian clothing. "Fuck!" Two knocks on the door grab her attention. "What is it?" she snaps.

Cassie walks into the disarray of her parents' room and quirks a questioning eyebrow at her mother. "Relax, will ya?" Sonya scowls at her daughter. "Maybe I can help?"

"How?" Cassie just drags Sonya into her room in response. "Oh, no..." she mutters when she becomes privy to what's about to happen. "Cassie, no," she whines.

She pays Sonya no mind as she holds out an ivory colored slouchy shirt with the Eiffel Tower on the front. "Try it on, Mom." Leaving little room for arguments, she shoves the shirt in Sonya's hand. She then fishes out a pair of black skinny jeans and throws it at her mother who uses her fast reflexes to catch them.

With a shake of her head, Sonya resigns to her fate and pulls the shirt over her head. Next, she pulls on the pants which are surprisingly fitting. "Not bad," she admits to herself as she observes her reflection in Cassie's mirror.

"Told ya. Now, the finishing touch." Cassie goes into her closet and shoves hangers aside until she finds what she's looking for; she holds in her hand her prized black leather jacket. "Take care of my baby," Cassie tells Sonya.

"Your baby?" Sonya questions, thoroughly amused. Nonetheless, she puts on the jacket and flips her hair to the back.

"Yeah, that cost like 400 bucks. Dad bought it for me," Cassie explains. _Jesus Johnny_ , Sonya thinks to herself. "And you should wear one of your boots," she advises her mother.

"Thanks kiddo," Sonya says with a grateful smile. Giving her daughter a hug, she whispers, "Wish me luck."

"Pfft!" Cassie sputters as Sonya is leaving her room. "You don't need luck. If anyone tries to mess with you, just give them the Blade glare."

Sonya slowly turns back to her daughter. "What?" she asks.

Cassie's eyes pop out guiltily. "You know," she stumbles, "there's this look you give people when you're fed up with their shit. It's a step down from a death glare. Jacqui and I call it your Bladed glare." Sonya narrows her eyes at Cassie sharply. "Yep, that's the look," Cassie states, either oblivious to or blatantly ignoring the fact that Sonya is directing said look towards her. With a sheepish grin, Cassie nudges her gently out of the door. "Bye dear, have a great first day!" she teases.

Sonya silently laughs to herself. "Smart ass kid," she mutters.

* * *

When Sonya arrived on campus with her Harley, she's suddenly aware of the looks from the underclassmen. The minute she takes off her helmet, a bunch of boys cheer for and applaud her, effectively confusing her. She fixes her long braid so that it falls behind her. She turns off the engine and locks it in place, grabbing her messenger bag. As this is happening, some of the boys ogle her as girls begin whispering to each other. Annoyed, she finally snaps: "Why don't you all take a picture? It'll last longer!" Startled at the terseness of her voice, the group begins to scatter away from the parking lot. "Damn kids," she grouses. She was used to lower rank soldiers at S-F ogling her, but it didn't make her any less miffed by the unwarranted attention.

Using the campus map as her guide, Sonya tries to find her way to her first class. She gets impossibly lost in the hallway of the building she's supposed to be in, watching her printed class schedule and the map with wide, confused eyes. "Are you lost?" a student asks her politely.

She looks back up and blinks at him. "Yeah," she tells him, relief flooding through her. "I have this new class and I'm about to be late to it."

"May I?" he asks her. She hands him her schedule and he takes a look at it. "Interrealm Studies. Awesome! I happen to have that class as well. Let's walk there together." The student beckons her to follow him as he navigates his way through the crowd and into the classroom. "Here we are. I'm Andrew by the way. You?"

"Sonya," she tells him. Andrew gives her a small smile as she sits in the front row to the left of the classroom. He sits next to her but keeps his distance, chatting to a couple of friends behind him.

The professor, a Hispanic male with curly brown hair and bright brown eyes walks in, dressed in a snazzy shirt that reminds Sonya of Johnny and a vest over it. "Hello, good morning everyone. I'm Professor Valdez. Welcome to Interrealm Studies. Take a syllabus and pass it down; you'll find out everything you need to know in order to do well in this class." He hands the stack to a student in the front row section.

As the syllabus is being passed around, a female undergrad taps Sonya on the shoulder to pass her one. "Oh, thank you," Sonya tells her politely.

Throughout the class, she surprisingly manages to keep a low profile as she scans the syllabus. Her heart hitches when she sees the basis of this class; topics involve the tournament, the Netherrealm war, and the aftermath, all of which she has personal experience in and did not want to relive. Caught off guard, she feels another tap on her shoulder as the class looks at her expectantly. "Uh..." she musters intelligently as she feels her body burning with embarrassment.

Professor Valdez smiles at her. "You don't have to say much. Just tell us your name, where you're from and what you expect to gain from this class. Anything else about you is completely optional," he tells her.

Sonya clears her throat anxiously. "Okay... well, my name is Sonya; I'm originally from Austin but moved out here after..." 'After the Netherrealm war' is her unfinished statement, but she continues with, "After I got married and stationed myself here. Honestly, I have no idea what to gain from this class."

"What do you mean?" the professor asks her, genuinely concerned over her choice of words.

"Oh," she begins, "I mean... I know a little bit about the Netherrealm war and what led to it."

Now he was curious. "Oh? How so? I'm curious on other point of views."

Fuck, she can't talk her way out of this one, so she's hoping to downplay any involvement. "For example, many people have a tendency to believe the ruler of Outworld acted alone in his bid to conquer realms, when in fact it was the fallen Elder God—"

"Oh! That guy Shinnok or something like that," a female student blurts out. Turning to Sonya, the girl asks, "You really believe Shinnok had something to do with it?"

"Well, I _know_ he did. It's why he engaged in war with us in the first place," Sonya informs her, her military ties showing itself. "He had been manipulating events in his favor so he could resume his war with the Elder Gods. It's why we—uh, Special Forces had to intervene; he threatened to destroy Earth and its life force." Sonya cringes inwardly at her slip of the tongue.

Unfazed, the girl continues, "What would he have gained from Outworld's old ruler's fall? _That's_ what I don't understand; _that's_ why I find it hard to believe he had anything to do with Shao Kahn's death."

"Well, in his eyes, with Outworld in anarchy, Shinnok would be able to claim himself as their ruler, merging Outworld and Earthrealm, poisoning the Jinsei. It would've left him room to take on the Elder Gods and cause massive destruction to the universe."

The professor smiles at the two of them. "See? You _can_ gain something from this class, Sonya," he tells her. She fights a grimace off her face and opts to smile uncomfortably instead.

* * *

Johnny laughs at Sonya's crankiness. "Your professor _actually_ said that?" he wonders incredulously while taking another bite of his turkey burger. In response, she stabs at her salad angrily. "What was your reaction?" he asks through chews. She grumbles. "Hmm?"

"The only thing I have to _gain_ from that class is a fucking ulcer," she mutters miserably. She pops a cherry tomato into her mouth with another frown.

"Aww honey," he says, putting down his burger and caressing her hand, "you'll be fine. You know, so long as they don't figure you out."

"Thanks for the support, Cage," she says sarcastically, snatching her hand away from his.

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that," he back pedals nervously. "I meant... there are some elements of this class that might force you to relive moments I know you'd rather not remember."

"Like Shinnok almost killing me," she states with another mouthful of salad.

"And me saving you with my mysterious powers... like in my movies," he quips with a wink. He pauses for a second. "Wait, no. By all means, relive _that_ particular moment," he says again, "it's how I finally got you to go on a date with me."

Her face brightens up at the memory. "Idiot," she laughs. He laughs with her for a few moments.

After a while, he continues, "No, seriously. It's probably gonna open many emotional wounds. I mean, you know… if it hasn't already." He looks up to see her biting her lip. "You should do what makes you feel comfortable, babe." He caresses her hand again and this time she allows it, threading her fingers through his. "What about the other classes?" he inquires, polishing off his burger with his banana milkshake.

"They're fine..." she says. He gives her a knowing look. "They are, I promise. I just feel... lost, you know?" He nods, silently asking her to continue. "I mean, it's like being a fish in the sea, then suddenly being ripped out of your environment and exposed to the air. Unlike real fish, I had to force myself to find a new bowl, so to speak. But now that bowl's too small for me."

"So, you basically feel like you're a big fish in a little pond? That's... that's an uncomfortable thought," he says. She nods in agreement. "Anything I can do to help you adjust to your new environment?"

Sonya beams at him gratefully. "I'll manage," she replies, which makes him frown because he knows she's downplaying her real feelings. "But thank you regardless, honey."

Taking her statement with a grain of salt, Johnny squeezes her hand affectionately. "That's what I'm here for," he replies. While she's finishing her salad, he sips at his drink. "Want some?" he jokes as he shakes his cup. She grimaces at him. "Or was that really just a phase?"

She purses her lips, trying not to laugh. "You know I hate bananas," she tells him. He laughs and passes her his glass of water instead, which she takes a sip from. "Well, it'll explain Cassie's weird obsession with it."

"And here I thought it was because of me," he says, chuckling. She stares at him, still trying to fight the grin. "Speaking of our princess… her birthday is coming up."

"Don't remind me," she mumbles. Johnny looks up, frowning. Realizing how harsh she sounded, she tries to back track. "Fuck, no… that's not what I meant… shit…" She still never told him about why she gets depressed around her birthday, an anniversary that very nearly coincides with the death of her ex partner. She swallows and decides now isn't the time to bring it up, not when everything was going so well between them. Instead, she says, "I… I remember all the times I wasn't there because I was too busy saving the world for my family. Hell, I wasn't even fully there for her birth.

"It's going to be weird," she continues while taking a deep, unsteady breath, "but I don't know who it'll be weirder for; me because I'll actually be here and not in S-F, or her because she's gotten used to me not being there for her." Johnny thinks about saying something but decides to let her finish. "I've thought about all the things I'd want to do for her, like throwing her a huge princess themed party, or having a water fight picnic like she wanted one year. Or maybe…" Sonya's face lights up. "We could take her to an amusement park! Oh! Or Vegas!"

Johnny laughs at Sonya's enthusiasm. "Well, let's see what the princess wants to do for her birthday. Either way, she'll be okay with whatever happens," he tells her. She gets up and goes around the table to give him a huge hug, one he returns lovingly.

"Thank you, Johnny," she breathes into his neck.

* * *

Cassie's phone rings while out on her run, interrupting her newest favorite song. Annoyed, she answers the phone by pressing a button on her headset. "Cage," she barks.

"Hey girlfriend!" Jacqui's voice chirps in her ear. Cassie rolls her eyes. "What's up?"

"You're interrupting my song, bitch face," Cassie jokes with her friend, stretching her legs out on a nearby bench.

"See, now I gotta hurt ya'!" Jacqui tells her as they laugh. "Anyways, your birthday is next week. What are you doing?"

Her birthday… she hadn't even thought about it. "Shit," she responds, pausing her stretching. She collapses on the bench, mentally exhausted. "Dude, I have no idea."

Jacqui makes a contemplative noise. "Well, would it be a bad thing if we did a double dip?" she asks her friend. Cassie scowls; 'double dips' in the world of Cassie and Jacqui meant double dating. And the last time she checked, Cassie was single… even though she possibly (?) had a love interest. Not that Jacqui knew who he was, not officially. "Okay, before you knock the idea, just think about it for a sec."

Cassie tosses the idea around in her head for a few seconds. "No," she answers.

"Cassie!" Jacqui whines. Then she thinks about it. "All right, I know what you're thinking about. That was an utter failure; shit, it shouldn't even count."

Last time they tried double dating in high school, Jacqui's date ended up being a chauvinistic creep who flirted with every girl and Cassie's date threw up on her as a result of his hangover. Cassie frowns. "Damn straight." She appreciates every effort Jacqui has made to make her feel better, but she's unsure of a blind date. "Besides… I think Yuri might be coming here for a visit," she says to her. Well, it was a half-truth; he told her he'd _think_ about a visit if he was able to get some time away.

"Ooh," Jacqui begins teasing Cassie, "lover boy's gonna come and _visit_ you, if you know what I mean."

Cassie imagines the leering voice and facial expressions over the phone and massages her temples. "Jacqui! It's not even like that!" she says, blushing scarlet. "And who would you even set me up with anyway? Because I know that's where this is going…"

"Supposedly he's cute," Jacqui replies.

"Not helpful," Cassie tells her.

Jacqui scoffs. "He's Takeda's cousin, so he's supposed to be cute."

Cassie shakes her head, running a hand through her blond hair. "And when is this supposed to be happening?" she asks, resigning.

"I'll keep you updated. But most likely this week. His name is Renato and I trust Taquito's judgment."

Cassie bursts into laughter. "Wow, there's a new one. Where'd that come from?"

"Well, you see, we were in bed—"

"La, la, la, la, la! Never mind!" Cassie yells, cupping her ears playfully. Suddenly the other line beeps. "Lemme call you back," she tells Jacqui. Jacqui responds with an affirmative noise and Cassie clicks the line over. "Sergeant Cage."

"Hello Cassandra," he croons in her ear. She shivers.

"H-hi…" she answers, trying to keep her composure. She smiles. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you," Yuri tells her. "Do you recall me saying I might visit you?" he asks her, cutting straight to the point.

"Mmm hmm," she answers.

"Well, let us see each other sometime this week. How about… this coming Saturday?"

Cassie gapes. " _This_ Saturday? As in, day after the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes, I have landed and I'm staying with my uncle while I am here. Is that too sudden?"

"No, no, no!" she says, flustered. "I'm excited! I mean," she takes a deep breath. "Sure, Saturday's cool for me," she expresses, calming herself down from her excitement.

"Excellent," he says and she can pretty much hear the smile in his voice, which makes her heart skip a couple of beats. "I shall see you then?"

"Yeah, it'll—" she starts until she hears a familiar accent wafting into her ear.

Her attention suddenly turns to a man who is talking to a woman at a jewelry stand. "'Ello love, can yer help me out a bit?" she hears him say in an Australian accent, eerily sounding like…

"Cassandra?" she barely hears Yuri calling her.

"I have to go," she whispers before abruptly hanging up on him. She begins breathing heavily and puts her head between her legs. "Fuck no," she pants, choking back tears. Moments later, a hand on her shoulder causes her to shriek in fear while her reflexes grabs the offending limb and twists it away from her. When she observes the threat, she sees a man in a floral turquoise shirt and a bucket hand staring at her with a pained expression. She releases his hand as if it's scorched hers. "Shit, I'm sorry," she apologizes to the tourist.

"'s all right," he replies in his heavy accent. "Didn't mean to scare ya. I thought ya might 'ave been in the sun too long." He offers her a bottle of water. "Here ya go," he says politely as he twists open the bottle. She shakes her head. "Are you sure, lass? You're looking a bit pale 'round the edges," he asks her.

"I'm fine, sir," she responds, blinking back tears. "Thank you." He nods and walks away, waving at her.

When she's sure he's out of sight, the tears break through and roll down her cheeks rapidly. She buries her head in her hands. She barely registers the song playing on her phone when she begins to sob uncontrollably as she's reminded of another memory.

* * *

" _Ya don't look so good blondie," Kano taunted Cassie. He opened the water bottle for her. "Open," he commanded. She doesn't comply. Instead, she wiggled in her bonds again, feeling them tighten around her wrists. "Aren't ya thirsty?" he asked in a saccharine voice._

" _No," she mumbled._

 _Kano smirked evilly. "I don't think I believe you. Now open!" He tried to force her mouth open but she fought him the entire time. He lunges back at her, holding her nose open. For a full minute, she was able to hold her breath until her lungs burned with the need for oxygen. Gasping for air, Kano forced the bottle into her mouth, water making its way down her throat. She coughed, trying to expel the liquid from her through which led to her dry heaving. Her stomach tightened in knots, reminding her she hasn't eaten since she was captured. "There," he declared triumphantly as he chucked the water bottle behind him nonchalantly, "isn't that better?"_

" _Fuck off!" she spat at him nastily, trying to move away from him again._

* * *

Cassie has had enough of the memories and the images flashing through her mind. How was she supposed to move on with her life when she constantly re-experienced those moments in her head? She reaches into her back pocket and takes out her phone, scrolling through her voicemails. One particular voicemail she'd been avoiding sticks out in the lineup and she listens to it:

" _ **Hello, this message is for Cassandra Cage. My name is Dr. Katelyn Marsden. I'm calling to follow up on your evaluation. Based on everything in your file and your preferences, I believe that I would be the best option for your needs. Please give me a call at your earliest convenience so we can establish a set schedule for your appointments. My number is 424-555-0843. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you. Have a great day."**_

Wiping her tears away, she dials the number and takes a deep breath. "Dr. Marsden," the woman on the other line answers pleasantly.

"Hi. This is Cassandra Cage returning your phone call?" Cassie informs her courteously. She wipes her tears away and clears her throat, trying to sound level headed.

"Hello," she answers. "Thank you for getting back to me. I have a spot open on Fridays at two o'clock, although this Friday is not good for me at the moment. Is it okay to start next Friday?"

Cassie swallows. Next Friday is her birthday. On the one hand, she wanted to get back to Special Forces and relieve Jacqui of some of her duties and the only way to do that was to at least start therapy sessions. On the other hand, meeting up with a shrink on her birthday left a bitter taste in her mouth. Not seeing any other viable option, Cassie says, "Yes, that would be good."

"Excellent! So, your appointments with me will be every Friday at 2 pm starting next Friday. Just return to the same place you came to when you did your preliminary evaluation. I look to meeting with you Cassandra."

"Yeah, you too," Cassie says aimlessly. "Have a good one."

Dr. Marsden replies with, "And you as well. Goodbye."

Cassie sits on the bench for a few moments more before coming to another realization. She dials another number. "Shit, I'm sorry for hanging up on you, Yuri," she tells him sadly.

"You are forgiven. Would you like to talk about it when we meet? That is, if you are up to it," he inquires politely.

She smiles through the phone. "Yeah, I'd like that," she answers.

* * *

Though Johnny had gotten a tongue lashing from his agent, he was glad to see James walk back on set. It meant that he hadn't pressed charges against Johnny. His gratefulness was thinly veiled by apprehension and doubt because he'd taken the new changes Cassie made and was working to implement them into the film. "All right everyone," Johnny says, gathering his cast in a group, "I've made some changes to the melee scene and I'd like to try it out. Could everyone get ready for that scene? It's now on page 78."

His cast chatters excitedly as they begin to disperse into their respective stations. "Uh, Johnny?" James addresses as he taps him on the shoulder. Johnny turns around and looks at him expectantly. "Can I talk to you?" Johnny nods, ushering him away from the last bit of stragglers. "I just wanted to apologize for my behavior on set last week. It was inappropriate and unprofessional. Not to mention immature."

Johnny nods again. "I appreciate your apology," he tells James.

"I know you know what it's like to have the whole world doubting your every move, scrutinizing every choice you make. You're really the only one I can probably relate to, so it didn't help my case that I had thrown all of that back in your face." James shuffles his feet nervously. "I want you to know that I'm willing to make things right because I know the script isn't in your control at the moment."

"Hmm," Johnny starts. "See, that's where you're wrong, kid," he tells him. James looks up with a frown. "I'm taking control of this script. You're not the only one looking for redemption."

James grins. "Awesome! So… I promise to do better on this movie." As a sign of good faith, James holds out his hand for Johnny to shake. After a second thought, Johnny accepts, pulling him into a friendly hug. "Thanks man," he says appreciatively.

"No problem. The easy part is saying it. Now you just gotta show me what you've got," Johnny advises him.

"You got it, dude!" James replies before going to his trailer for hair and makeup.

Johnny nods to himself. "Yep, starting over," he says with a grin.

* * *

 **A/N:** Review as always! Wait... I'm always saying that... I also appreciate the alerts of story favorites/follows. But don't be afraid to review either :)


	9. Dates and Babies

**Author's Note:** There's a reason I'm putting the note before the disclaimer. The song's lyrics featured below is from a song called 'Ghost' by Ella Henderson. So with that said…

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Mortal Kombat in any capacity. I also do not own the lyrics to the song. Only the plot is mine and I do not make money from this, thank you.

A little more OC love from me to you. Enjoy!

* * *

Peeved at the messages on her phone, Cassie scowls at her best friend in the mirror. She's already dressed in her jeans, but is lacking a shirt and staring in front of her mirror in just her bra. "Look, I'm sorry about that," Jacqui tells her, hands raised in surrender.

"It's cool," Cassie replies, even though it's the exact opposite. She couldn't help but bitterly notice how convenient it was of Yuri to postpone their meeting at the eleventh hour while Jacqui told her Takeda managed to snag her blind date for their 'hang out'. Shaking her head, Cassie continues to run her hands through her hair. For the first time in a very long time, she lets her hair down, its golden locks brushing against her clavicle. She lightly tosses it against her fingers and sweeps it to the left side of her head before changing her mind and sweeping it to the right side. As she's going back and forth with her thoughts, Jacqui stares at Cassie with her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What?" Cassie asks, turning around to face Jacqui.

"Just leave it out, Cass," Jacqui advises her.

"No," Cassie argues, using her index finger to part her hair in the middle. _Fuck it,_ Cassie thinks and performs a run through with her fingers once more before deciding to take Jacqui's advice. "I'm not dressing up for some dude I don't know, just so we're clear."

"Fine by me," Jacqui answers. With that said, Cassie puts on a sleeveless blue shirt that reads 'Sarcasm is one of my many talents', and grabs her jacket. They both leave her room and walk down the stairs where Jacqui retrieves her car keys from the key holder. When they get to the drive way, Jacqui contemplates. "Here," she decides, tossing her keys to Cassie who plucks them from the air effortlessly.

"Aww, I'm flattered, Jacqui," Cassie says as she skips to the driver's side and unlocks the doors. When she starts the car, she immediately sets the radio to her own custom station which is already saved as one of Jacqui's presets. "Wanna hear my new favorite song?" Jacqui shrugs because knowing her best friend, she wasn't really asking. With a self satisfactory grin, Cassie plays the song.

When Jacqui hears the first few chords and words, she shakes her head. "You're stupid late with this song, Cass," she says, laughing when Cassie starts mouthing the words.

Cassie stops bobbing her head long enough to say, "Shut up, you know I don't always listen to shit like this." She restarts the song and asks, "Wanna duet?"

"Ugh," Jacqui teases, restarting the song once more. " _I keep going to the river to pray, 'cause I need something that can wash out the pain. And at most I'm sleeping all these demons away. But your ghost, the ghost of you, It keeps me awake_ ," Jacqui sings.

" _My friends I can figure out. You're the soul that's inside of you. It's rock hard in another you. But your evil was coming through_ ," Cassie sings next.

" _These eyes sitting on the wall, well they watch every move I make. Bright light taking in the shape. You go hard, makes my spirit shake_ ," Jacqui finishes.

" _I had to go through hell to prove I'm not insane! Had to meet the devil just to know his name. And that's when my love was burning, yeah it's still burning_ ," they both sing together. In their falsetto voice, they sing the chorus again. When they finish, they burst into laughter.

"Oh, my God, remember when my dad tried to get his agent to start a girl band with us?" Cassie reminisces with Jacqui.

Jacqui's giggles are uncontrollable at this point. "My dad wanted to smash your dad's face in," she says before laughing again.

"When does that _not_ happen?" Cassie asks. They pause with the traffic before exploding into hysterical cackles. "Aww, Papa Cage is an idiot sandwich," she thinks of Johnny affectionately. They begin moving again.

"He's a sexy idiot sandwich, fresh off the panini grill," Jacqui giggles.

Cassie turns to her sharply as Jacqui covers her mouth in embarrassment. "Don't speak to me, _ever_ ," she mutters.

"I just said your dad's kinda hot—"

"Stop it!" Cassie whines, plugging her ears. They swerve slightly and Jacqui's reflex allows her to grab the wheel quickly. "Oops…"

Glaring at her, Jacqui says, "Still hot though." Cassie screams in response as Jacqui snickers evilly.

* * *

"Miss Blade!" one of Johnny's female actors by the name of Natalie calls out to Sonya. Turning around, Sonya sees the young woman walking up to her, carrying a little boy around the age of two who's playing with a stuffed rabbit. "Would it be too much to ask you to watch Noah?" the actress asks Sonya.

With wide eyes, Sonya is about to decline when she notices the young woman with bags under both eyes. Biting her lip, she's unable to control her maternal instincts. "Sure," she reluctantly answers and holds out her arms.

The pretty red head hands the little boy over and he whines at the loss of his mother's contact. "I'm so sorry about this; I told Mister Cage about my situation and he understood, but I still feel horrible." Turning to her son, she says, "Be good for Miss Blade, buddy!" Natalie tells the toddler affectionately, touching his nose softly.

"No!" he responds before bursting into tears.

Immediately, Sonya begins rocking him in her arms. "Your mama's gonna work for a little while," she tries to soothe him. She then hears Johnny calling for the girl and releases her with a head nod. "We'll be fine," she reassures her when Johnny calls the girl's name once more, more annoyed this time. With a smile, Natalie leaves and Noah begins to fuss. "Hi Noah buddy," she says. "That's a cute little bunny you have there. What's its name?"

Pouting, Noah stares at Sonya before he lifts the bunny near Sonya's face and blurts, "Bunny!"

Laughing at his innocence, Sonya says, "That's such a cool name." Bending down, she sets Noah down before joining him on the floor, sitting Indian style. "May I?" she requests, holding her hand out in a friendly manner. He hesitates before sitting down and handing the bunny to her. "Thank you, buddy." She starts making the bunny walk over to Noah and he claps happily when she makes the stuffed toy walk around the toddler. She then makes the bunny hop back into his lap. "Aww, he misses you," she teases Noah with the bunny. He gives her a toothy smile. "Do you know how old you are, Noah?"

Noah looks at his fingers and holds up two fingers. "Two!"

Sonya's impressed with the little boy. "Wow, you're such a big boy!" she compliments him with a smile.

"Yay!" he claps. Launching himself back into Sonya's arms, he says, "Tank you!" and squeezes her neck into a hug. "Hungry!" he adds.

Tears begin to pickle her eyes. Forcing them away, she gives him a watery smile and says, "Okay. We'll eat."

Half an hour later, Sonya finds a table and is watching Noah eat his ravioli unassisted. Making airplane noises, he spoons another mouthful of the pasta into his mouth. "Yummy!" he proclaims happily.

"Miss Blade!" she hears Natalie calling her. Looking up, Sonya sees her briskly walking over to the two of them. "Hi buddy!" she greets her son, pressing a kiss to his forehead, which he whines at. "Were you a good boy for Miss Blade?"

"No!" he shouts, earning a laugh from Sonya. As though to change his mind, he shouts, "Yes!"

Shaking her head at her son, Natalie couches down to his level and presses another loving kiss to his cheek. "Thank you so much for watching him for me. My babysitter canceled on me last minute—"

Waving a hand, Sonya says, "It's not a problem. I too was a working mom once upon a time, so I understand." Sonya stands up. "Bye Noah," she tells the little boy, waving at him.

With his spoon in his hand, he waves back and replies, "Bye, bye!"

* * *

Cassie and Jacqui get to Italian place by the boardwalk they're supposed to meet Takeda and his cousin at. Jacqui flags down a booth for four and Cassie runs another hand through her hair. "Stop fussing with your hair. It looks good," Jacqui tells her.

"I know that," Cassie snaps smartly, "it looks _too_ good." Jacqui makes a disapproving sound. "How long are they gonna be?" she asks while wringing her hands together.

Jacqui stares at Cassie before checking her watch. "Shouldn't be too long." Prying Cassie's hands apart, Jacqui tries to reassure her friend, "Cass, don't look at it as a date. Just think of it as four friends hanging out with each other." Cassie asks a silent question with a frown. "Look, I asked Jin if he wanted to come, but he politely declined."

"Probably because he didn't wanna feel like a third wheel?" Cassie answers. Jacqui shrugs in loose agreement. "God dammit, Jacq."

"Will you _relax_? Like I've told you, he's Takeda cousin," Jacqui explains.

"How do _you_ that Ronaldo isn't some fucking ax murderer?"

" _Renato_ ," Jacqui corrects Cassie, "is not an ax murderer. I doubt Kenshi-san would allow him into their home if he were." In response, Cassie flips Jacqui the bird, which Jacqui responds with two middle fingers. Looking up, Jacqui sees Takeda and his cousin walking towards them. "Hold that thought." Cassie rolls her eyes and Jacqui stands up to walk over to the boys. "Taquito!" she cries, launching herself into Takeda's arms. When he lets her go, she turns to his cousin. "Hi, I'm Jacqui," she says, shaking his hand. "C'mon, she's gonna kill me if I don't hurry up."

Cassie is on her phone when Takeda clears his throat to get her attention. "Hey, so this is my cousin Yuri-Nato—"

" _Yuri_?" Cassie asks, snapping her head up and facing the two of them. Her heart begins to gallop wildly in her chest. At a loss for words, Cassie stares at Yuri wide eyed and open mouthed. Her game of Papa Pear Saga on her phone is forgotten.

"Cassandra?" Yuri responds, his reaction identical to hers. Jacqui and Takeda share the same reaction as each other: confused but amused at the coincidence.

" _That's_ Yuri?!" Jacqui asks.

"You know Cassie?!" Takeda questions. Then, he has an epiphany. "Wait, wait, wait, _Cassie_ is the girl you've been so mysterious about?"

This makes Cassie smirk at Yuri. "You mentioned me as 'mystery girl'?"

While Yuri gives her a sheepish grin, Jacqui shakes her head in disbelief and says to Cassie, "Hang on, you only showed me a picture of him with half of his face covered and said he had 'sexy silver eyes'." Cassie blushes as the boys laugh. "So you're not so innocent yourself."

"Jacqui!" Cassie yelps, slapping her friend on the arm. Turning back to her date, she says, "Looks like we get to hang out anyways."

Yuri smiles at her. "Funny thing fate is, isn't it Cassandra?" He gestures for Cassie to retake her seat and he slides in next to her. She gives him a dazzling smile, trying to maintain her composure. She absolutely adores the way her name rolls off his tongue and it makes her stomach do happy flip flops. "So, how are you?" he asks her politely.

Cassie blinks at him until she realized he was speaking to her. "Oh, um…" She swallows. "I'm better now," she tells him honestly. She takes a chance and loops her pinky with his. He smiles and squeezes gently.

* * *

The drive home is filled with an unsettling silence. Though trying to focus on the road, Johnny can't help but notice how quiet Sonya is. A quick glance at her tells him something is on her mind. He wants to say something, but he's afraid she might snap at him. So he settles for driving in the silence that bothers him. A few minutes later though, he absolutely picks up on the subtle change of her breathing pattern and he politely draws attention to it. "What's up honey?"

"Hmm?" she answers, distracted.

"What's wrong?" he repeats.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" she deflects his question.

He gives her another side glance. "You just dodged my question," he tells her.

She finally lets out a sigh and says, "What if we had another kid?" she asks him.

His sunglasses cover the shock in his eyes of her brazen question. "Wow," he starts calmly, though his stomach does the twist, "there's a question I wasn't prepared for."

"Sorry," she says, bristling at his changed demeanor.

Lifting his glasses above his head, Johnny says, "I wasn't expecting that question, babe. Care to elaborate?"

Sonya sighs again and turns her head towards him. "I mean, what would our lives be like if I had another baby after Cass? Would we have still gotten a divorce?" He chances one more look at her and she catches his confused gaze. "I realize this was a little left field, but I was just wondering, that's all. I was wondering what would've changed between us."

"I would've loved another kid," Johnny tells her honestly with a small smile. "But I would have left that decision up to you." She nods, appreciating the answer. "Nothing would've changed on my end though," he finishes, and that statement rubs Sonya the wrong way.

Sonya presses her lips together in deep thought. After a few moments, she chooses her next words carefully. "You think I would've stayed in S-F?" Johnny shrugs. "Be honest, Johnny," she cajoles him.

With a rough sigh, he says, "I don't know, hon. I just know that the same way I was with Cassie would be the same way I would've been with any of our other kids, if we had any." His thoughts are making him uncomfortable, so he tries to bring the conversation to a close. "What brought on this train of thought?"

"I was just curious," she answers, but he knows she's not telling the whole truth. She feels him staring at her again and she huffs. "Part of me wanted another baby, but the other part knew that if we did have another kid, I would have been even more dedicated to S-F. Because the more people I have out there to care for, the stronger my urge to protect you all would've been." She pauses for a moment. "And we probably would've still gotten a divorce because you think I don't care when I do."

 _There we go_ , Johnny thinks. "I thought we were past this," he says with a frown. Directing the conversation back to her initial thoughts, he continues, "Maybe our lives would've been different. Maybe things would've been the same. Hell, maybe we would've been worse off. Thing is, we don't know, and we can't go back in time to change things, you know?"

"I know," she tells him with a defeated sigh.

"Sweetheart," he calls her, which makes her look at him seriously. "Would you have stayed home more if we had another baby?"

Sonya bites her lips. "Probably?" she tells him, unsure.

They finally pull into the driveway and Johnny shuts off the engine. By this point, tears are falling down her eyes. Johnny cuts off the engine and wraps an arm around her shoulder while unbuckling his seat belt. He pulls her closer to him and kisses her temple. "Talk to me," he coaches gently.

"I missed out on being a mom," she tells him sadly.

"Honey, no, you didn't," Johnny tells her. "Where did that come from, babe?" She shrugs. "There were some things you've missed, but you weren't an absentee mother either. You were there in your own way."

She lets out a shuddering breath. "You're right. I just feel like I missed out on those formative years. Dammit, Natalie." She laughs at the last bit.

" _Oh_ ," he realizes. "You miss having an _actual_ baby," he says. She nods against him. "Well…" he begins to say.

"It's not fair," she whines, "one minute, I was teaching Cass how to walk. The next minute, she's walking out the door and into the military." She shakes her head.

"I know, our little girl is growing up," Johnny laments. Sighing, he releases Sonya from his embrace. "Come, let's go look at old photos together."

She gives him a watery smile. "Yeah," she agrees, "let's do that."

* * *

"Oh, my God," Cassie laughs when she and Yuri get on the Ferris wheel, "you're a psycho beast at go carting!" She looks at him once again and they both burst into laughter.

"You were not expecting that, were you?" he asks her. Covering her giggles with her hand, she shakes her head vigorously. "Well, I'm glad you are having fun."

"So," she starts, snorting her laughter back, "okay so, if I didn't know you were Takeda's cousin and we went out today like we planned, would we still be here?"

"Here in this moment, or here on this spinning contraption?" he asks her. Giggles erupt from her mouth once more and she stifles them with her hand. He quirks an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Spinning contraption," she laughs. "You're creative," she teases lightly, nudging his shoulder. "And to answer your question, I meant here in this moment."

He thinks about his answer. "Perhaps we might have been sharing dessert right now," he replies as they slowly ascend into the sky. He shakes his head in disbelief. "If you were not my 'date'," he explains, doing the quote gesture, "I would have found a way to talk to you."

Cassie smirks at him. "Well, I'm flattered," she tells him. She leans her head on his shoulder as they reach the peak height. "Look!" she says, pointing out the window. He leans in to see what she's pointing at. "If you look super closely, you can actually see our house." She squints. "I think…" she adds as an afterthought.

He humors her anyway by asking, "Do you know if your parents are home?"

She squints some more. "Yeah, my parents are in the living room," she tells him. He chuckles. "What, you don't believe me?" she challenges, taking out her phone and texting her parents.

"I am inclined to believe you're telling the truth," he answers her just as he hears a beep from her phone. She gloats silently, showing him the text from Johnny that says 'Yeah, your mom and I are at home going through old albums'. "They're probably looking at old pictures of you."

"Huh?" Cassie asks before she properly checks her phone. "Ugh, such dorks," she mutters affectionately. She slips her phone back into her pocket and turns her attention to Yuri. "So," she begins, scooting over to him slyly, "the view is amazing, isn't it?"

He chuckles. He's about to agree when they both hear Jacqui screaming, "Why is this freaking thing shaking so much?!"

"Calm down Jacqui!" they hear Takeda yell at her.

Cassie and Yuri give each other a look before bursting into uncontrollable fits of laughter. "Shut up, Cassandra!" Jacqui screams, making them laugh even harder.

Ignoring Jacqui's mini meltdown, Cassie puts her hand on his knee gently as they feel themselves descending. "As I was saying, isn't the view awesome?"

Yuri looks out the window and takes notice of his surroundings before it disappears from his peripheral vision. "The ocean view is quite lovely. Not as lovely as you, but all the same," he tells her.

Cassie beams at him, her cheeks steadily burning hot. "Wow, that was smooth," she remarks as she feels herself being pulled closer to him.

He observes her body language before deciding to lean in closer to her. She tilts her head and is about to close their distance when—"Ahem," the male operator startles them. "Unless you want another round…"

Cassie narrows her eyes at the ill timed interruption. "We're good, thanks," she mutters through gritted teeth. A few minutes later, she looks on while Jacqui and Takeda step out from their cart looking a little pale. She laughs. "You guys look like you've been through the ringer."

"Oh, suck it," Jacqui mumbles. Cassie flips her off again. "So charming," she replies sarcastically. Turning to Takeda, she says, "I'm beat. You guys ready to call it a night?" They all agree it's late, so the four of them walk back to the parking lot where Jacqui has parked her jeep.

When they get closer to the car, Cassie cries, "Driving!"

"Shot gun!" Yuri calls out.

"Oh, no you don't," Takeda starts to tell him. "You always get shot gun!"

"I do not," Yuri argues.

Shaking their head, Cassie and Jacqui decide to play 'rock, paper, scissors' to settle their dispute. Cassie wins two to one. "Fuck dude," Jacqui exclaims miserably.

Takeda walks up to Cassie and says, "I'm challenging you."

"That's not part of the rules!" she complains.

"Actually, if you are challenged to a game after winning, you automatically forfeit your championship if you decline the challenge," Yuri pipes in with. The two girls turn to him in disbelief. He shrugs. "I did not make the rules."

Jacqui laughs, Takeda gloats, and Cassie is still staring at him. "Who's side are you _on_?" she questions menacingly. He laughs in response. "Fine, let's go, Takahashi." She ends up losing to Takeda and she reluctantly hands over the keys to him. "You're a trouble maker," she tells Yuri as she pouts playfully. In response, he holds her door open for her. "Thanks, loser," she teases. He blinks at her before sticking out his tongue at her, making her laugh.

When she gets home, Cassie sees both of her parents curled up on the couch with an album teetering on the edge. She tiptoes over to them and fixes their blanket before putting away the photos. "Night guys," she whispers, not expecting a response.

Sonya, being a light sleeper, mumbles, "Night Cass."


	10. Relapse Factor

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Mortal Kombat or any of the characters or places you recognize. The plot and a couple of made up OC's are though.

 **Author's Note:** After some deliberation and research, I have come to the conclusion that there's a slight continuity error of timing in the games regarding how old the new generation might be. With that said, I have Cassie's birthday coming up in the next couple of chapters.

* * *

The Cage family spends Sunday brunch with the Briggs' sharing food, drinks, and stories. "So," Vera Briggs continues her story, "the young lady finally decided to get back to me just to tell me she just sold the last muffler to the young man who was after me." Shaking her head, she sips her peach sangria. "I don't understand you kids. What ever happened to 'good customer service'?"

"He's probably gonna get laid," Cassie says off handedly, making everyone at her table choke on their food. While Jacqui, Johnny, and Vera burst into laughter, Sonya and Jax glare at her. "What?"

"Could you be any more crude, kid?" Jax asks Cassie in disbelief. She shrugs, sipping on her mimosa. "Real charmer you got there, Sonya."

Throwing her hands up in defense, Sonya says, "I blame you, John." Johnny gives her a cocky grin in response.

"No, seriously," Cassie back tracks, "she didn't say whether the guy was there first and just returning, or…?" Vera shakes her head. "Did you ask to speak to the manager?"

"Her 'manager' is her daddy. Entitled little brat," she says in disgust. The adults nod their heads in agreement. "Oh, Cass! What are you doing for your birthday?"

Cassie blinks. "Uh…" she answers. She stabs at her Cobb salad. "I don't know. I guess I'm not really feeling the need to celebrate this year." Forks drop to the table in shock. "Really guys?" she asks, deadpan.

"But Princess," Johnny starts to say, waving his hands grandly and narrowly missing Sonya's face. "We always do something huge and spectacular for your birthday."

She shakes her head. "Yeah, I don't know. I'm not really feeling it this year."

"Well, I think we can understand that," Jax tells her, patting her hand gently from across the table. Cassie smiles sadly at her honorary uncle. "You've had it rough these past few months, kid. Plus, being 23 is one of those weird ages, you know?"

"How?" Jacqui asks her dad.

"Well, when I was 23, I'd just become in charge of a bunch of new faces in the army. Lots of them tested my patience," he explains. "I'm looking right at you, Blade," he adds as an afterthought towards Sonya. She guiltily sips at her rum and coke. Cassie and Jacqui stare at their respective parents.

Amused, Johnny asks, "What did she do?"

Sonya groans. "Jax, no!" she pleads with him, covering her face.

Cassie laughs and leans closer. "Well," Jax begins, staring straight at Sonya, "I can't tell you how many times I had to drag her away from one of the wild base parties."

"I was such an irresponsible sack of shit," Sonya mutters through her hands.

" _Now_ you've really got my attention," Johnny tells Jax.

Laughing at the memories, Jax continues his story. "This woman here was a party animal. The amount of times she has challenged grown men to drinking contests. And she managed to drink them under the table each and every time."

Cassie giggles as Jacqui gapes. "Oh, my God," she begins, "like, doing keg stands and shit?" Jax nods. Everyone else laughs while it's Johnny's turn to gape. " _Mom_!" she scolds. "What a party animal!"

Folding her arms, Sonya stares at Jax. "Listen here, Jackson Briggs. If I can recall—"

" _If_ being the key and operative word," Jax teases.

Sonya glares at him. "I saved your ass from doing naked latrine duty because of my keg stand contests," she tells him. It was Jacqui's turn to laugh while Cassie and Vera gape. "That's _if_ I hadn't stepped in on a dare for you, Briggs. So you shut your mouth." They all laugh at the memories and images. "Hmm, what happened to me when I was 23," Sonya thinks out loud. The memory of her partner being shot in front of her face crosses her mind. Biting her lip, Sonya tries to bury the hurt through a smile, though forced. "Well," she starts and only Jax notices her hesitation. He pats her hand. She sighs. "Well, we discovered a huge mercenary faction," she finally says with a nonchalant shrug. "And then that's when I became a commissioned officer. I skipped a bunch of ranks to get to Lieutenant."

"Wow," Cassie says through another sip of her drink, "that's pretty impressive, Mom." Turning to Johnny, she asks, "And what about you, dear old Daddy?"

Johnny scratches the back of his neck. "Uh," he says, instantly causing Cassie to burst into another fit of giggles. "Well, I had just finished college—"

" _You_ went to college?!" Jax asks in disbelief.

Johnny frowns and pushes his sunglasses above his head. "Why is that so hard to believe?!" They all look at him. Making a disapproving noise, he says, "You guys are assholes. Yes, I went to college. I have a degree in Film Studies, thank you very much."

"I'm impressed, honey," Sonya tells him honestly.

"Thank you, babe," he tells her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Anyways, I had just finished college and my movie _Citizen Cage_ when I uh…" He takes a swig of beer and mumbles, "Met my ex-wife."

"I'm sorry," Vera teases, "we didn't catch that last bit."

Sonya laughs at Johnny's horrified expression. "Met my ex-wife," he grits through his teeth.

"You didn't have any kids with this woman, right Dad?" Cassie asks him apprehensively.

"Oh, God no!" he says. "Sorry, but I'm pretty sure I dodged a bullet there."

"Good answer, Cage," Sonya tells him, pecking him on the lips. "And you, Vera?" she says and turns to Vera, already knowing the answer.

Vera sips on her water with a smile. "I was a waitress at a diner," she replies. "And I got lucky that day. I had the pleasure of servicing these two hung over kids here," she finishes, gesturing to Sonya and Jax. Sonya covers her face again.

"Jesus, I was such a bitch to you," she laughs.

Jacqui shakes her head. "Why am I not surprised?" she asks her mother. "Mom's got the patience of a saint."

"She sure does," Jax agrees, looking at his wife adoringly.

"Ew, you guys are so cute, it's disgusting," Cassie teases.

"You know who else is so cute it's disgusting?" Jacqui teases, looking straight at Cassie. Green eyes go wide and she shakes her head subtly. "So, Cassie's new boyfriend, guys!" Cassie throws her napkin across the table at Jacqui. "They're so—" A cherry tomato hits Jacqui on the cheek. "I'm going to hurt you, Cass."

"Shut it, you," Cassie scolds her.

"I guess you can say she's a regular Casanova," Johnny quips with a wink. Everyone turns to stare at him incredulously. "What?" he questions them with a smirk on his face.

With an emotionless, deadpan voice, Sonya says, "Get out." This causes everyone else to laugh at Johnny's hurt expression.

"So mean," he grumbles.

* * *

Monday afternoon, Sonya's Interrealm Studies class covers the topic of the very first tournament. She doesn't know much about it, so she pays attention in class, taking notes wherever she thought necessary.

"So the condition became that one particular realm would have to win ten tournaments in a row in order to be allowed to invade other realms," Professor Valdez explains to the class. Ahh, _this_ is what Sonya remembers about her conditions of participating. Placing her pen gently on her notebook, Sonya leans back folds her hands across her stomach. "And Outworld has managed to win nine out of ten of those tournaments. Their champion—"

"Goro," Sonya says.

"Mmm hmm, Goro was their champion up until—"

"Twenty-five years ago baby!" a female student by the name of Roxanne shouts triumphantly behind Sonya. She laughs lightly at the girl's enthusiasm. "What? Liu freaking Kang kicked ass, man!"

The memory of seeing Liu Kang's electrocuted and charred body creeps its way through Sonya's mind and she tries to fight it off. "He did," Sonya decides to tell her instead.

The professor chuckled. "Yeah, but Shao Kahn was selfish. He wanted a new tournament," he continues just as his phone beeps. He takes a quick look at it before turning back to the class. "That's all we have time for today," he announces. The class let out a collective groan of disappointment, which makes Professor Valdez chuckle again. "Do your own research on what happened to Liu Kang after the tournament. I want to see what you guys come up with."

Rolling her eyes, Sonya packs up her stuff and throws her bag over her shoulder. As she's leaving the classroom, she hears her name being called out. "Sonya! Hi!" She turns around to see Roxanne waving at her.

She smiles politely. "Hello," she greets.

"So," Roxanne starts, "you seem to know a lot about what happened with all that stuff. It's cool."

"Yeah," she reluctantly agrees with a nod of her head.

Roxanne steps in line with Sonya, walking in the same direction as the older woman, something the latter raises an eyebrow at. "I have Sociology after this, but I was wondering…" Roxanne pauses in front of the English Composition room, the class Sonya has next. "I dunno, but… would you want to possibly grab lunch together?" Sonya bites her lip. She and Johnny had already planned to grab lunch together and it would seem rude to blow him off. "I mean, it's okay if you can't. I was just wondering."

Another thought passes through her mind. "Um. I was actually gonna grab lunch with my husband," Sonya tells Roxanne. The young girl's face falls. "But he likes to be everyone's best friend, so I can talk to him. He won't mind coming along, that is, if _you_ don't mind of course."

"Not at all!" she chirps. "The more, the merrier! Cool. I'll come get you from your class."

"Will do," Sonya agrees before entering the classroom.

* * *

Secretary Blake is organizing the files on his desk when a few knocks startle him. Regaining his composure, he clears his throat and says, "Enter."

Needless to say, he's shocked when he sees Cassie enter his office. Closing the door behind her, Cassie walks over to his desk and sits in a chair across from him. "There's something I need to give you," she tells him, going into her knapsack and digging around for her piece of paper.

"Does your mother know you're here?" he asks her, remembering the last time anything involving Cassie occurred in his office. Flagg's jaw needed to be wired shut from Sonya's flying fists a couple of weeks ago.

She stops digging in her bag to scowl at him. "No," she mutters. Blake makes a disapproving sound and she snaps, "Look, I'm a big girl. Since she's not my superior officer anymore, I don't need her permission."

He holds both hands up in defeat. "It was just a question, Sergeant."

With a satisfied growl, she continues her search. She hands him a letter and he apprehensively takes it from her. Eyeing her, he opens the letter and briefly reads the contents. "So," he starts, folding the letter back up after a few moments of silence. "You're cleared to come back?" She nods. "Again I must ask, does your mother—"

"I would've been back earlier had you and Flagg just respected my mother's wishes in the first place," she gripes at him. He snaps his mouth shut and nods in agreement. "I'm starting my first session on Friday, so I will report back to duty on Sunday at 0600 hours. Is that cool with you, Blake?"

Raising an eyebrow at her lax behavior, he says, "Yes, that's fine."

"Mmm hmm," she says, standing up. "You know, I have to ask… what did you two do to her?"

Taken aback by the question, Blake balks. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid, Blake. My mom had a lot of respect for both you and Flagg and all of a sudden…" she doesn't finish her thoughts and lets the sentence hang in the air. "Anyway, I've only just found out she retired, meanwhile her whole life was dedicated to Special Forces. So if you don't tell me eventually and I find out her retirement was a sham, I _will_ do everything in my power to restore her back as general."

Folding his arms, Blake stares incredulously at Cassie. _She sure has her mother's attitude_ , he thinks to himself miserably. "It would be unwise of you to threaten me, Sergeant Cage," he reminds her.

She snorts indignantly. "Yeah, you're totes right," she says as she moves towards the door. "That's why it's more of a promise." With a conspiratorial pop of her bubble gum, she leaves Blake's office.

Just outside Blake's office stood Jacqui, Jin, and Takeda staring at her like she'd just grown three extra heads. "Ballsy move, Cass," Jacqui tells her with wide eyes.

"Ugh, you have no idea. I wanted to rip him a new one. But, since I don't have all of the facts yet, I'll let him pass. For now," she responds. Turning to the boys, she says, "We're probably gonna have to take orders from Lieutenant Colonel Herman until Flagg gets better. Apparently, Mom broke his jaw." Cassie snorts out a fit of laughter before composing herself. "So, be back at 8 am Sunday," she finalizes seriously.

"Yes, ma'am," the three of them tell her before going their separate ways.

* * *

"Yeah, sure, that sounds fine, Honey. I'll be there," Johnny tells Sonya over the phone in his trailer. When he hangs up, he lets out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. After all the times over the years Sonya has canceled lunch on him because of work at the base, he was more than relieved that she gave him a courtesy call on the slight change of plans. He grabs his keys from the table and prepares to lock up his trailer.

When he spots her on campus, Johnny sneaks behind Sonya and grabs her waist, hoisting her high above his shoulder. She squeals and kicks around. "What the—" she starts when she realizes that 1) it's most likely Johnny and 2) Roxanne and her friends are cheering him on. "Put me down, Cage," she demands as he throws her over his shoulder.

"Or what?" he teases.

"Or else you're getting one in the 'nads," she says. To emphasize her point, she starts kicking again.

"Okay, okay," he coos as he lowers her to the ground. He turns her around and leans in for a kiss. She grabs his lips with her hand instead and twists. "That's quite painful, baby," he informs her as she releases her grip.

She gives him a death glare. "What did I _tell_ you—?"

"I know, I know," he jokes. Finally turning his attention to her group of friends, he holds out a hand and says, "Johnny Cage."

Roxanne laughs. "Oh, my gosh," she says, blinking at him, "I can already tell how awesome you are! I'm Roxy. These are my friends Andrew, India, Elmo, and Nicole," she says as she points to each person. They give him a small wave. Turning to Sonya, she states, "We're actually gonna go to that pub and grill Nicki likes to go to."

Sonya turns to Johnny and raises both eyebrows at him, her look silently begging him to think of something. Unfortunately, Johnny doesn't mind, so his response is, "How far is it from here?"

"Eh," Elmo starts, "it's just up the block or so." He begins to lead them away from campus and to the spot. When they get there, Nicole immediately flags down a waiter and gets the group of seven a table by the karaoke juke box. "Ooh! We should come back and do karaoke!"

"Ugh, yes please," Roxanne agrees.

Johnny and Sonya squeeze themselves between India and Andrew. When the waiter comes to their table to fill their glasses with water, Johnny takes a sip of his and asks, "So, how long have you guys known each other?"

Turning her body slightly to face Johnny, India answers him. "Well, Nicki and I grew up together and the two of us plus Roxy have been rooming since last semester. I met Andrew last year and he's been a thorn on my side since."

"Liar," he coughs unnecessarily into his water, causing Nicole to giggle.

"And Elmo's my cousin," India finishes as though uninterrupted.

"Sounds cool," Johnny tells them, genuinely interested in their lives. Sonya just sits and observes quietly as she notices Johnny turn on his 'Caged Charm' as she called it. The waitress comes back to their table and asks everyone for their order. When she gets to Sonya, she blanks out. "Hon," Johnny draws her attention with a soft nudge.

"Hmm? Oh. Uh, I'll just get a grilled chicken Caesar salad if you have that, thanks," she finally answers.

"What kind of dressing would you like with that?" the waitress asks her politely.

"Italian is fine," she says with a smile.

"What about you, Johnny?" India asks him.

With a dismissive wave of a hand, he says, "I've done my six year bid of school already. Been working since."

"What'd you get?" Roxanne inquires in regards to his degree.

"Film," he responds. "I was actually in a dual program where I got my Bachelor's and Master's degree."

This catches Sonya's attention. "Really? Damn, and here I am slacking," she says.

"Oh babe," he says, shaking his head at her, "you chose to serve your country instead. I hardly call that 'slacking'."

"What? You were military?" Andrew asks Sonya. She nods. "No wonder. You carry yourself like you're in charge." She frowns at this. "Hey, hey, I mean that as a compliment." Her face softens.

"Well, thank you," she tells him with a small smile. "I had to be after a while." She lets the conversations around her continue as her mind wanders off. It's only when Johnny taps her again to receive her food that she comes back down to earth. "Thank you."

"You okay?" he questions, concerned at her lack of attention. She nods, but he's not convinced. "We'll talk later if you need to," he tells her.

"I'm okay, I promise," she responds.

* * *

When Cassie gets back to the house later that evening, she plops herself on the couch, mentally exhausted from dealing with Blake. She wasn't sure she was ready to go back but she had to fight through it. Her dad didn't call her his 'warrior princess' for nothing. But even still, she feels the last bit of apprehension creeping through her mind, especially considering that she'd be going back without her mother as The General. Rubbing at her eyes with her fingers tiredly, she mumbles to herself. "God, this is a nightmare."

"What's a nightmare, Princess?" Johnny asks her from the door. She looks up, startled by his entrance. "Didn't mean to scare ya. What's on your mind?"

"Eh, it's nothing to worry about," she tells her dad. He frowns, disbelieving her. He walks over to sit next to her on the couch. One long look from him gets her to spill her guts. "I know I bitched and complained about Mom being 'General Hard Ass', but… it's going to be bizarre knowing she isn't there anymore. And I just find it _so_ weird that she all of a sudden decided to 'retire'. I dunno. I don't trust Flagg anymore, Dad." Cassie sighs and stares at her father with unshed tears in her eyes. "Do _you_ know why she retired?"

Johnny scratches the back of his neck guiltily. "Uh…" he starts. She narrows her eyes at him. "Well, I think that's something your mother should talk to you about herself."

Knowing her father, it was his way of admitting he knew but wasn't supposed to say anything. With a resigned huff, Cassie accepts her father's answer. "All right, I'll just ask her myself." After a few minutes of awkward silence, Cassie blurts, "I'm going back on Sunday."

Sonya, having just walked in the house, says, "You're going back to duty?" Cassie nods and rubs her forehead. "Is Blake making you go back?" she demands, throwing her keys on the end table by the door and putting her hands on her hips. "I swear to God—"

"Mom, it's fine. It's my choice," Cassie reassures her.

Sonya gives Cassie a look. "All right… You know if you don't want to talk to a therapist—"

"I have my first appointment this week," she informs her mother. Sonya opens her mouth to say something else but Johnny's look dries up her concerns in her throat. "I'll be fine, Mom."

Sonya hangs up her jacket with a sigh. "Yeah, you're right. You'll be fine. I trust you."

Sonya goes upstairs to their bedroom, slamming the door shut. Alarmed, Cassie and Johnny share a look of confusion and concern. "Is… is she mad at me or something, Daddy?" Cassie asks him.

He shakes his head. "She isn't. She's been a little," he starts as he does the unsure gesture with his hand. "She's been distracted lately, but she'll be fine." As an afterthought, he adds, "I hope."

* * *

In the bathroom upstairs in their bedroom, Sonya splashes water on her face again. She looks at herself through the mirror and her bloodshot eyes show pain, regret, longing, and remorse. Pain, because even though it's been over thirty years, she still feels the loss of her partner. Regret over not being able to save her partner as his life ended right before her eyes. Longing, because part of her believes that had she not been stuck on the memories of her old flame, she might have opened up to Johnny a little more. And remorse because for years Johnny believed she didn't love him when she did; she just had a hard time loving him the same way she loved James. In his defense, it was an unfair thought to have, but she thought about it a lot more than anyone could ever stand to know.

Soft knocks on the door interrupts her thoughts. "You okay in there, Sonya?" his voice creeps in.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she answers back thinly. She splashes water on her face once more as she tries to rinse tears away.

"You sure? You've been in there for almost two hours now," he informs her.

Oh. She hadn't realized the time. She clears her throat and tries to sound unaffected. "I'm okay, baby," she says.

"Okay," Johnny says slowly, " _now_ I'm worried."

She exhales sharply, trying to force her unreasonable anger back down. "Why?"

Johnny chuckles humorlessly. "When have _you_ ever called _me_ baby?"

Sonya bites her lips and realizes he's right. She never calls him baby; she'd call him anything but because that was something she reserved for her old partner. Shaking her head, she sighs. "Sorry," she says more to herself than anything.

"Sunny… baby," he begins to say with an exasperated sigh, "please come out of the bathroom so we can talk."

"Give me ten," she reasons with him. "Then I'll be out, I promise." She hears him sigh again and she tears up again, biting her lip painfully. She sniffs, grabs a tissue from the sink, and blows her nose as quietly as she can muster. She turns on the tap and splashes water on her face for the last time before patting her face dry. Convincing herself that she looked better, she finally unlocks the bathroom and steps out, almost running into Johnny. "Oh, shit," she says as she grabs onto his arms for support.

"I've got you, hon," he tells her as he wraps his arms around her waist. He lifts her up and drops her onto their bed softly. She turns to face him and caresses his face tenderly. He brings her closer to him and he rubs his nose against hers. "Don't forget I'm here for you, babe," he reminds her as he grabs her hand and entwines their fingers together.

"I know, honey," she responds. She watches as he falls asleep, trying to will herself to do the same and forget what the next day means to her.

* * *

 **A/N:** I feel bad for what's going to happen to Sonya. If you're curious too, keep reading to find out. And review/alert/favorite as always.


	11. Nightmare Fuel

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Mortal Kombat in any way, shape or form.

 **Author's Note:** Just to be on the safe side, I'm warning all readers of a possible trigger episode with Sonya. By all means, please read. But also, read at your own risk. I've warned you. Thanks.

* * *

Sonya couldn't sleep that night; she kept tossing and turning in Johnny's arms. Slamming her feet and fists against the bed, she growls angrily. "Sleep, baby," Johnny mutters drowsily as he pulls her in tighter. Even through his slumber, he presses a kiss to the back of her shoulder and nuzzles her neck. Johnny's breath pleasantly tickles and soothes her enough for her to close her eyes once more.

 _When Sonya opened her eyes, she remembered she was in a dark warehouse. Her breathing was ragged with the effort of concealing how much pain her ribs caused her. Her face also hurt; her unexpected captor, claiming to follow orders from The Big Boss, punched and bruised her face repeatedly, resulting in a possibly cracked cheekbone. Tilting her head upwards, she revealed her dire situation; her arms were shackled to the overhead pipes. Confused, she tried to free her arms to no avail. "Don't… struggle…" a voice told her. She looks back down to see her partner and fiancé Second Lieutenant James Anderson chained to pipes as well right across from her. His face was covered in his own blood and bruises. She gasped at his state. "It'll… make things… worse."_

" _Shit, Jamie," she muttered with a shake of her head. "I told you not to follow me here!" she scolded him. Struggling through her bonds again, Sonya grunted with effort as she used her upper body strength to press her feet on the pipes. She kicked at them over and over again until she developed slight vertigo from her inverted position. Forcing herself back down, she tried to wiggle out of her bonds again, causing her to swing back and forth lightly. "Fuck me!" she shouted._

" _When we get out… I promise," James told her, earning a marginal, almost nonexistent smile from her. "Fucking bastard… cracked my rib."_

" _Kano, right?" she wondered aloud. She shook her head in disappointment. "That son of a bitch lied to me… to all of us. He's a member of the Black Dragon, isn't he?" she asked him._

 _He took a deep breath. He knew Sonya wouldn't like the answer, but she had to know regardless. "Yeah," he told her regretfully. As expected, she scowled at him. "But he's not just a member. He's… he's their leader. He orchestrated…" he said to her before coughing in pain._

" _But Kano_ _ **helped**_ _us locate the Black Dragon," she told him, refusing to believe she'd been betrayed. She sucked in a deep, painful breath. Damn, he worked her good, and she hated it._

 _Taking another deep breath, James continued to explain, "He duped us all, Blade."_

 _Sonya closed her eyes and swallowed. "He's their leader?" she asked him. No, she refused to believe… he'd been more than willing to be her C.I and all too eager to help her track the mercenary weapons dealing faction down. And it was just a ruse? "What does he expect to gain out of this?"_

" _Power," he told her. She huffed in response. "Blade… babe… we can't hope to get out of here alive, so I just wanted to tell you—"_

" _No, fuck you! FUCK YOU!" she hollered desperately. "We are_ _ **not**_ _doing the goodbye speech! We're_ _ **going**_ _to get out of here, and we're_ _ **going**_ _to take them down one by one," she said. With renewed determination, Sonya painfully lifts her legs once more, banging on the pipes in hopes of releasing her legs from their restraints. Fighting through her dizziness, she continued to pound at the pipes._

" _Wait, stop… someone's coming," James warned her hurriedly. She reluctantly came back down just as the door opened to reveal her traitor._

 _Standing between them, Kano flipped his knife in the air several times. "Fancy meeting you two here, Sonya and James," he drawled in his Australian accent._

" _You fucking bastard! I trusted you!" she yelled at him while thrashing about. One of her kicks landed on his chest, causing him to stumble back._

 _He laughed evilly as he stepped back in front of her face. "The others were harder to break, no doubt about that. But you, sweet little Sonya Blade," he taunted her, running the tip of his knife against her neck, "you were particular easy, eh? All I had to do was say all the right things, and you opened right up to me on everything." Anger coursing through her veins, she looked him square in the eyes and spat in his face. Calmly, he wiped the spit off before backhanding her so hard she got whiplash from the strike. "No one told you to be a gullible bitch," he continued. "So who's it gonna be first?"_

" _Our team is on their way, mother fucker!" she shouted at him._

" _You're a dead man walking, Kano," James added._

 _Turning to him, Kano smirked. "Ahh, yes; false bravado is a look suited for a tosser like you. Too bad your dear old fiancée can't help you, can she?" With a swift hand, Kano stabs him below the ribcage, making James howl in pain and Sonya in mental agony. "Aww, I'm sorry mate. Does that hurt?"_

 _Sonya continued to wiggle in her restraints. "Don't you touch him! DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HIM!" she screamed wildly while swaying to and fro._

 _Suddenly, all three of them heard gun blazing in the distance. "Looks like the cavalry is here," Kano jeered as he laughed. Breathing heavily, Sonya looked up at the door to see someone outside before looking back at James, who was growing weaker by the moment. Kano pulled out a gun from his back pocket and aimed it at Sonya. "I bet you should go first," he said as he removed the safety lock from his pistol._

" _You want her, you're gonna go through me," James told Kano weakly._

" _No!" Sonya argued._

 _Kano looked at the lovers' spat in amusement. "Well, I was gonna work on my best friend Sonya here some more, but since I've already softened ya up…" Kano grabbed James by the neck and pressed the gun to the back of his head._

" _No!" she shouted. "For the love of God, don't!" she begged, nearly hysterical. "Don't do this to me Kano, Jesus!" she cried. Kano's sadistic smirk says all as his finger teases the trigger._

" _Aww, baby, want me to show you mercy?" he asked her in that frighteningly sweet voice of his._

" _We can work something out! But just… don't do this!" she pleaded with him._

" _Any last words, mate?" Kano asked James as Sonya stared defenselessly. James looked at her mournfully and mouthed 'I love you' before Kano pulled the trigger. Blood and bits of brain matter covered Sonya's face before she fully registered what just transpired. Then, she heard herself letting out a blood curdling scream that she couldn't control._

She sits up in bed, still screaming until she hears Johnny saying, "Sonya, baby!" Throwing a hand over her mouth, she stops. Hot tears immediately spring to her eyes and rolls down her cheeks in fat trails. "Baby," Johnny calls her again with a soft hand on her shoulder. She begins to sob and Johnny pulls her into an embrace, stroking her hair. "Aww, babe," he says, not really knowing what else to say. He hasn't seen her experience a nightmare like this in years. She holds him back as she continues to weep in his arms. "What happened?" he asks her while rocking back and forth. She didn't trust herself to talk, and Johnny didn't feel comfortable pressing her. Instead, he says, "I'll make you some tea." He starts to get up and she holds onto him tighter.

"Don't leave me, Johnny," she groans, gripping his neck. Making a decision, he hooks an arm behind her knees and lifts her bridal style.

"I'm not goin' anywhere honey," he responds.

* * *

Having snuck out of the house when her parents retreated to their room, Cassie sits in a park while looking at her phone repeatedly. "C'mon," she beseeches impatiently as she taps her foot against the floor anxiously. Finally, a masked figure sits next to her on the bench. She turns to the figure and says, "Thank you."

Yuri removes his mask and replies, "It's no problem." He scoots closer to her and wraps a hand around her shoulder, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "I am ready when you are."

"I can't get the image of his stupid face out of my head," she complains. He maintains his comforting grip on her, waiting for her to gather her thoughts. "I close my eyes and I see them; one brown, one cybernetic red, and I just can't…" she chokes on a sob. "I can't live like this anymore."

"When are you supposed to go to your first session?" he asks her.

She looks up at him. "Friday?" she tells him hesitantly.

His gray eyes go wide in shock. "Friday is your birthday, is it not?" She nods and snuggles into his shoulder. "I know you want to get this over with so you can go back to work," he starts to explain, "but you should only do what makes you feel comfortable."

"I know," she mumbles. "I want to move on. I _need_ to move on, or else I'm just gonna be stuck here and I won't open up to anyone ever again, you know?" He nods understandingly. "I'm just gonna be blunt about this shit, so beware."

"Being wary," he responds. She bites back a smile. "Okay, I'm ready."

"I like you… _a lot_ ," Cassie stresses out. A ghost of a smile appears on Yuri's face for a brief moment before forcing it back down. "But I can't even say what he did to me out loud. So I won't be able to do anything else until it gets out of my system."

"Oh," he says, unsure of what to make of her confession. He shifts in the seat a little. "Well, I will not force you to do anything you aren't ready for," he reassures her.

"I know," she tells him again.

"I'm patient," he adds.

"I bet," she jokes in an attempt to make herself feel better. They laugh silently. "No, seriously, I appreciate this. Other guys would've bailed on a girl already in this type of situation."

"I am not other guys."

"I'm aware," she teases. "Not many guys get to say they saved a girl's life, you know."

He sighs happily. "All in a day's work; not a big deal."

Cassie laughs. "My dad would've said 'that's what I'm here for' or some shit like that. Actually," she thinks for a moment, "I think my dad _did_ say that to my mom. She still got with him… miraculously."

Yuri chuckles. "Despite that, your father seems like a good man."

"He is," she agrees. "And so are you," she tells him after a long pause. In response, he presses a kiss to her temple and she wraps her arms around him.

* * *

Johnny slides a cup of peppermint tea over to Sonya from across the counter. She picks up the cup with quivering hands, causing it to shake as well. Tea begins to spill over the edges of the mug. "All right, all right," Johnny says while guiding her hand back down before she has the opportunity to burn herself. A pathetic sob escapes her throat once more. "Shh, shh," he tries to soothe her by rubbing her hands. "Shit, that must've been one hell of a nightmare."

"I don't..." she begins. She gulps. "God, I'm not ready... I can't take this anymore," she wails as she openly sobs again. He pulls her close again, letting her head rest on his shoulder. Sighing, she tries again to explain, "I feel like shit, John. It's been years... _years_. Decades even."

"Since?" he gently prods.

"Since... since my partner…" She leaves the statement open ended, hoping he would fill in the blanks. His confused look tells her she should finish her explanation. "The anniversary of his death is today," she finally admits. His breath catches in his throat. Yet another death she blames on herself.

"Babe, you can't blame yourself for that," he says to her.

"But it _is_ my fault. _I'm_ the one who led my team out there based on the information I'd gotten. _I'm_ the one who took his fucking word for it because he charmed his way into my life. Goddammit, it will _always_ be my fault."

Johnny's confused again. "Who are you talking about, hon?"

Sonya attempts another sip of tea. "Fucking Kano," she spits bitterly. "He took my partner away from me; he tried to kill you several times. Johnny, he took away my daughter's spirit." She looks up at him with red eyes. "Do you still think I was wrong for killing that son of a bitch?" Before he can answer her, she barrels on, "Fuck him and fuck Flagg and Blake for not understanding. Kano showed me _no_ mercy when he was killing my team. He _never_ showed me any mercy. But that mother fucker wasn't too proud to beg for his life, huh? I ought to kill him again!" She bangs her fist on the table so hard the mug shatters in her hand, leaving the handle cradled in her vice grip. Johnny jumps back and she resignedly lets the handle go. "That… was my favorite mug."

He starts wiping the counter with a bunch of wet paper towels. He calmly and patiently prepares her another cup of tea and notes the time: 3:48 am. "You don't have to answer this if you're not ready, but uh…" He hesitates, unsure of his own line of questioning. He takes a deep breath. "Can I ask how close you were to your old partner?" She looks up and blinks at him. "I mean, like you and Jax are best friends, so I was wondering—"

"I loved him," she answers almost regretfully. Johnny schools his face to avoid reacting negatively to her admission. He nods. "Not many people knew about him and me; only Jax really knew, and I liked it that way." She blinks again and another tear falls from her eye. "He was my best kept secret." Johnny bites the inside of his cheeks. "Until you, of course," she adds unnecessarily. Sonya idly sips at her tea again as the wheels are turning in his head. "We were engaged and working on a huge case against the Black Dragon and…" She trails off awkwardly. "I'm sorry; this is probably the most insensitive time to talk about this."

"Is this why you get so uncomfortable around Cassie's birthday?" he inquires.

Without looking at him, she nods. "It's why I've tried to keep myself busy with tours and assignments."

"And why sometimes you narrowly miss her birthday?" he has to ask her because the question has been driving him nuts since she started speaking.

Sonya's head snaps up to face him. "I'm sorry, okay?" she renounces. She rubs her eyes tiredly. "I'm sorry," she repeats.

His face softens at her emotional resignation. "No, I'm the one who's sorry, Sonya," he admits to her. He was afraid of her closing up on him again so he decides to stay silent for the rest of the time.

There's a long stretch of silence that spreads between them, only being cut through by her occasional sips of tea. "Sometimes," she begins after a while, "sometimes I wonder how I was able to move on romantically. I mean, of course I love you, but I loved him in a different way."

"So what, you love me like a brother or something? Because that's a little creepy," he muses woefully, masking his hurt.

"John," she concedes wearily.

"I'm genuinely asking," he answers, "because now I'm confused."

"I'm just trying to sort out my feelings," she says thinly.

"Mmm hmm," he mocks dismissively. Now she becomes aware of his feelings and realizes she must've hurt them.

She sighs again. "This is why I didn't want to tell you. Why I've held it in for all these years. I'm sorry I even bothered you," she confesses before getting up and stomping her way up the stairs. He hears the door slam for the second time in less than twenty-four hours and cringes at the thought of them waking up their daughter.

* * *

After accidentally watching the sunrise with Yuri, Cassie sneaks back into the house at a quarter to nine and jumps when her mother simultaneously grabs a jacket and her keys while planting a kiss on her forehead. "Bye Cass," she says and closes the door.

With wide eyes, Cassie stares at the door in shock and wonders how Sonya missed her entrance. Thinking she's off the hook, she tiptoes upstairs, completely forgetting about that pesky trick step. It creaks and Johnny's voice shoots through the air with, "Where have you been?"

She yelps as she trips and hits her knee on the banister. "Son of a…" she curses. She turns around and spots Johnny sitting on the couch with his arms folded. "Uh, oh," she grumbles. "Hey, Daddy-o."

"That's not answering my question, Cassandra," he scolds her.

Now Cassie's in shock. She gapes, her gum falling from her mouth and onto the trouble making step. "Dad…"

"Were you out this entire time?" he accuses. Hanging her head low, she gives him an 'mmm hmm' as her answer. He's more relieved that she wasn't home to hear his conversation with Sonya and softens up significantly. "All right," he tells her.

She looks up. "That's it?" she counters with. He shrugs. "So, you called my full name not because I'm in trouble, but because you were worried?" she asks incredulously. He shrugs again. "Unreal. I'm going to bed."

"Wait!" His voice stops her in her tracks and she slowly turns to face him again. He pats the seat next to him. "Watch a movie with me? I haven't had much sleep either."

The pleading and vulnerable look in his eyes makes her heart sink. _He probably got into an argument with Mom_ , she thinks. "Sure. Whose choice?"

She sits in the space next to him and picks up the remote. "Hmm… let's flip for it. Tails," he tells her. She grabs a coin from the coffee table and flips it in the air. She catches it and flips it on her hand to show him: tails. "Nice," Johnny gloats. She sticks out her tongue at him.

* * *

After her classes, Sonya had driven out to Los Angeles National Cemetery and located the plot she was looking for. She walks through the lot, following her muscle memory until she gets to her destination. Biting her lip, she kneels down in front of the grave and gently wipes the dirt from the plot.

She sighs, choosing her words carefully. "Hey," she starts, cringing at how shaky she sounded. She clears her throat and tries again, "It's been years since I visited. I apologize." She hastily wipes a tear from her cheek. "Last time I was here… I was getting a divorce from Johnny. And now, we're supposed to be working on our issues, but every step forward lands us two steps back.

"I finally told him about you and… as I suspected, he didn't take it too well, even though I know about and understand everything between him and his ex-wife. I know that the love he had for her isn't or wasn't the same as what he had for me. I told him the same thing and I managed to hurt his feelings. I _always_ manage to hurt his feelings.

"Am I wrong for having feelings too?" she asks into the air. "I guess that's what I get for putting on such a hard façade. I had to do it. I needed to protect my feelings or I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my job. You know, I did make it General, that is, until they forced me to resign because I finally killed that bastard.

"Anyways, Cassie's birthday is coming up. I can't believe she's turning 23 already. I swore I would do anything in my power to make sure she doesn't suffer a similar fate, a similar sequence of loss like I have at her age. It didn't work; she slipped through the cracks somehow. I'm gonna spend the rest of my life making it up to her."

Sonya sniffs and rubs her nose. "Well, I hope you're all right up there, wherever the hell you are," she laughs despite her tears. She presses a kiss to her fingers and presses them against the tombstone. "See you later," she says, standing up. She brushes her knees and runs a hand through her hair.

"Sonya?" a female voice calls out to her. "Sonya Blade?" Sonya turns around and spots her former partner's younger sister Brenda waving at her. She smiles as Brenda makes her way over. "Hi!" she greets, hugging Sonya affectionately.

Sonya returns the hug. "Hey. How are you?"

"I'm doing well. It's been forever since we saw each other last. What have you been up to? Soldiers still giving you a hard time at S-F?" Brenda asks politely.

Sonya looks around guiltily. "Actually, I just retired. I'm going back to school and helping Johnny with his movie," she informs the younger woman. As suspected, Brenda's jaw comes unhinged. "Okay, which part have I shocked you with?" she wonders, prepared to explain her retirement.

"You're on speaking terms with your ex-husband?" Brenda asks in shock. Sonya's eyes go wide. Brenda observes the blonde curiously. "No… wait… you're on _more_ than speaking terms with him, aren't you?" Brenda teases.

Sonya fights the blush. "Aren't you gonna ask me why I retired?!" she almost pleads.

"Aren't you gonna tell me when you and lover boy decided to get back together? Or is it just a… you know… a _beneficial_ thing?"

Absolutely gob smacked, Sonya stumbles over her next words; "It's uh… we just uh… I mean it's not like… oh, sweet mother of Jesus." Both women laugh, Brenda in mirth and Sonya in embarrassment. "I can't explain it now."

"How about over drinks? My treat?" Brenda offers. Before she can protest, Brenda adds, "Spoiler alert: I'm not taking no for an answer."

Sonya shakes her head at Brenda. "Okay, fine, sure, whatever you say," she concedes. She watches as Brenda places a couple of daisies on her brother's grave before linking arms with her. "But let's not get crazy," she warns.

* * *

It's not every day Sonya Blade drinks until she can't stand up. But when she does, Johnny has to carry her belligerently giggling figure into the house, shushing her every two seconds. "You're going to wake up Cassie," he reminds her for the umpteenth time, closing the door with his foot.

She bursts into laughter. "Cassie's a _big_ girl," she slurs. "And who cares? The night is young!"

"Not for you, it isn't," he tells her. She caresses his face in what she thinks is a gentle way. She ends up almost poking his eye out instead. "Watch it, hon."

"Shh, shh," she coos at him. Ignoring her, he goes up the stairs and the trick step creaks. She squeaks, mocking the step. "Little mousy stair," she sing-songs while swinging her legs. He sighs heavily as she cackles loudly. "Johnny!" she shouts happily.

"Shush," he snaps. "And yes, Sonya?" he decides to humor her as he opens their bedroom door.

"You have such pretty eyes, Bluesy," she compliments him. He shakes his head with a chuckle. "Don't you think I'm pretty, too?" she ponders. Before he can answer, she says, "I know you do. That's how you got me into bed with you."

He stops in his tracks and stares down at her incredulously. "Really, Sonya?"

She pouts as he places her on the bed. "Why aren't you calling me something sweet?" she asks him. She attempts to stand up, only to fall on the bed face first. "Wow, the room is dizzing and I'm spin-y," she muffles through the pillow.

He rolls her onto her side and corrects her, "You mean, the room is spinning and you're dizzy."

"But that's what I said," she whines as he's trying to help her take off her shirt. She slaps his hands away saying, "Hey, hey buddy, at least take me to dinner first!" He stops and pinches the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "I mean, jeeze, all you gotta do is ask nicely." With that, she takes off her shirt and bra and he sweeps in to wrestle one of his sleep shirts over her head. "You're defeating the purpose."

"The one time I'm not trying to have sex," he mutters miserably, grabbing her by the arms and pulling her into a sitting position. "C'mon Sonya," he starts as he sits her down on the edge of the bed, "here are your pants."

"I don't want them," she argues with him. Johnny takes a deep cleansing breath and counts to ten. "C'mere," she says, beckoning him with her finger. "You look tense. You're too pretty to look so tense."

"I'm fine where I am," he tells her in a measured tone. She manages to grab and pull him so he comes crashing down on top of her. "Sonya," he warns her, "please go to bed."

"But I _am_ in bed," she replies cheekily as she turns them so she's on top.

"Smart ass," he mumbles. "Then please go to sleep."

Sonya huffs childishly. "I'm not—" she starts to say before soft snoring startles Johnny.

"Sonya?" he asks in disbelief. He tries to nudge her but she's unresponsive. "Oh… goody," he says sarcastically.

This was going to be a mess in the morning.

* * *

 **A/N:** And just like that, the cookie really begins to crumble. Please review as usual.


	12. Birthday Bash

**Disclaimer:** Don't own it.

 **Author's Note:** Get ready to read your eyes out for Cassie's birthday. Sorry for the long wait, but I wanted to make sure all of the elements of her birthday were legit and true to the character. Read on!

* * *

When Sonya wakes up in the morning, the taste of tequila and vodka clings to the back of her throat like a bad memory. She groans and rolls over, expecting Johnny to be on the other side. She feels the sheets and notice they aren't just empty, but they're cool to the touch as well. "Oh, my God!" she screams, jumping out of bed and fussing with some suspiciously clean clothes. It's only until she notices the pair of pants she trying to pull on is too baggy she realizes she's not even putting on her clothing. With an embarrassed groan, she walks (crawls) into Cassie's room and starts flinging clothes everywhere.

The sleeping occupant of the room instantly cracks an eye open and trains it on the intruder. "Mom," she speaks with a scratchy throat from left over fatigue. Sonya yelps in fright and drops everything in her hands. She opens her other eye and glares. "What are you doing?"

Regaining her composure, Sonya goes back to searching for clothes. "What does it look like?" she snaps unintentionally.

Cassie sits up in bed and looks around. "You really want me to answer that?" she snaps back, looking at her now disheveled room. Sonya looks around before going around the room to restore everything. "Were you drinking?!" she asks incredulously when she realizes her mother's sluggish behavior. "Holy shit… you totally were! You're wasted!"

Tangled in a long sleeved crop top, Sonya halts her movement. "I am not!" she argues. She continues to struggle with the article of clothing until Cassie gets up to help her out. She guides Sonya's hand out of the top and into the sleeve. "All right," she concedes, "I might have had a little bit to drink."

"Yeah," Cassie snorts sarcastically, "a little. Uh huh, _sure_ Mom, I believe you."

"Will you just help me please? You can lecture me later," Sonya tells her, clearly upset at her current situation.

"Okay, okay, shit," Cassie grouses. She mumbles under her breath about being disturbed from her sleep by unruly people. She fixes her mother's hair by brushing it behind her ear. "Okay? Can I go back to sleep now?" Cassie takes one step and collapses on her bed face first.

"You won't even make me any coffee?" Sonya pouts.

A frustrated scream leaves Cassie's mouth and onto her pillow before she drowsily gets back up, pushing past Sonya angrily. "First him, and now her. Fuck me, dude!" she grumbles while stomping down the stairs.

"Hey!" Sonya shouts from the room door. "Stop that!" she berates Cassie. She presses a hand to her temple and whines, "Ow, my head."

* * *

A couple of hours later, knocks on the front door jolt Cassie awake from her place at the kitchen counter. "What the fuck?!" she screams angrily. She stomps to the door and swings it open, revealing Kenshi at the door. "Yeah, Kenshi?" she bites in a thinly veiled voice.

"Hello. Is your father home?" he inquires politely. Cassie shakes her head. "What about your mother?"

"She isn't here," she answers.

Kenshi nods. "All right. Then, have you seen my nephew Yuri?"

Cassie's heart skips a beat at the mention of Yuri, but not in a good way. "I haven't. Why? Did something happen?" she questions, trying to force the bubble of panic down.

"No, no, nothing has happened," Kenshi reassures her, sensing her onslaught of worry. "I just have not seen him since last night."

Cassie takes a deep breath and tries to settle back down. "Oh. Well, no, I haven't seen him. Maybe ask Takeda?"

"I've asked. He is not with Takeda," He responds. After staring awkwardly at the older man, she motions for him to come inside, which he does. "Thank you," he says graciously. He finds his way into the kitchen and she busies herself with the task of making tea. "My last option is to ask Hanzo, but I know he has been busy since…" he lets the sentence trail off awkwardly at the risk of hurting her feelings.

She catches on though. "Yeah, understandable," she tells him as she slides the mug of tea in front of the swordsman.

He takes a sip and decides to broach his next topic carefully. "So, you and him are an item?" Well, almost carefully.

Cassie blinks at Kenshi. "Something of the sort," she answers cryptically. She hides a frown with a sip of her tea.

"You do not have to hide it from me, Cassie. Yuri has spoken highly of you. You've left quite the impression on him in such a short time," he explains to her. A cocky smirk threatens to break through the surface of her face before she catches it. "It reminds me of another young couple once upon a time."

She can't help the smile that blossoms on her face. "Oh? Like who?"

She's expecting him to launch into a story of him and Takeda's mother and their love. So, she chokes on her tea when he says, "Your parents," instead. "Do you need a moment?" he wonders, concerned by her coughing fit.

"No, I'm fine," she gasps before erupting into giggles. "Oh, God, who doesn't know about how my parents got together at this point?"

Kenshi chuckles. "It was quite obvious how your father felt about your mother," he continues as he tells her his version of events.

* * *

Working on another new scene Cassie rewrote in his script over the past couple of days, Johnny can't help but wonder what the plans are for his princess' birthday. Even though they were in the same house, he hadn't spoken to Sonya since she got drunk Tuesday night. Any time he _did_ speak to her, it was a short, tense, and at times a one-sided conversation on her end. He realized he shouldn't ice her out, but he couldn't help it; his ego was still a little bruised from her confession.

Nevertheless, he unenthusiastically heads home on Thursday night, hoping to avoid any more awkward conversation with her. No such luck though, because on her end, she'd been trying to get his attention and postpones dinner until his arrival. Taking a deep breath, he tries to put on a brave face. "Hey," he greets the two of them with a fake smile as he crosses the threshold.

"Hey Dad," Cassie sighs forlornly from the couch.

Johnny frowns. "What's got you glum, chum?" he inquires worriedly as he makes his way over to the couch. She shakes her head and lays her head on her fist. "Cass," he tries again.

"I don't know why, but I'm just in a bad mood," she expresses with another sigh.

"Want me to leave you alone?" he asks her. She shrugs. He takes it as a yes and presses a kiss to the top of her forehead before sitting across from Sonya at the table in the dining room. She raises an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to say something to her. After a few tense moments, she concedes, passing him a plate in silence. He piles food onto his plate: a chicken parmigiana cutlet, some string beans, and roasted potatoes and begins eating in silence. She glances at him every once in a while, the tension between them growing progressively thicker. After a few moments, Johnny's first words to her after a few days are: "Can you pass me the salt?"

Sonya narrows her eyes at him, but does what he asks. "Here," she says crossly, practically shoving the shaker into his hand. Another minute or so passes by before she blurts, "Are you still mad at me, Johnny?"

Johnny looks up at her, fork halfway to his mouth. He lowers it onto his plate and observes her before choosing to answer. "Should I be mad at you, Sonya?"

She opens her mouth to respond until she notices the use of her name. Not calling her baby, honey, beautiful, or anything of the sort usually meant he was upset. And here she thought they'd actually been making progress, notwithstanding her nightmares and their consequent disagreement of course. "No, you shouldn't be mad," she decides to tell him instead. He frowns. "Upset maybe, but you shouldn't be mad at me."

"Then I'm not mad at you," he counters with. Picking up his fork again, he begins eating again, shoveling food forcefully into his mouth and ignoring the searing pain. He hisses softly, but is unwilling to give her the satisfaction.

"That's fine," she affirms. More silence ensues between them, save for the front door slamming shut, signaling Cassie's departure from the house. Sonya quickly glances at the door and explains, "I managed to get a place."

Johnny ceases his movements. "What?"

She clears her throat. "I managed to get a place for tomorrow," she clarifies. He gestures for her to continue. "I uh… I rented out this place near the beach tomorrow for Cassie's birthday. Everything is pretty much done; I've cleaned up the place, ordered the food, decorated, made a few calls. I'm almost done with the cake and I have to put down the final payment before 2."

Both of his eyebrows sneak up in shock. "Oh?" he wonders. A pang of guilt jolts through his body, turning into irritation at himself. Here she was, trying her best to plan their daughter's birthday and he didn't even think to put his issues with her aside to help. "All right."

Unaware of his mental deliberation, she continues, "So, even though you're mad, or annoyed, or whatever it is you are with me at the moment, will you please do me a favor?"

"Yeah. Want me to finish paying for the place?" he asks her.

She shakes her head. "Nah, Jax is going to do that. I was just going to ask you to follow up with the bakery tomorrow. I know I put in the order sort of late, but I still want the cupcakes to be picked up sometime after twelve, or something."

"You know she likes red velvet with buttercream, right?" he enlightens her warily.

"I know," Sonya answers, "I'm making the frosting from scratch for her cake. When it comes to the cupcakes, anything goes, as long as it's whipped cream frosting." She gives Johnny a small smile. "I didn't forget, so don't worry," she quips in an attempt to lighten the mood between the two of them.

"Didn't say you did Sonya," he retorts bitterly. Her smile falls and she clears her throat again, forcing heated tears down. He closes his eyes and inhales deeply. "Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you just now," he confesses. "I know you're doing your best and I appreciate it. Especially considering that I haven't done anything else."

"It's fine," she angrily dismisses him with a wave of her hand. She stands up and begins clearing the table hurriedly. When she's finished, she goes up the stairs into their room and collapses in bed, sighing as her pillow soaks up her frustrated tears. She wriggles out of her pants while still in bed, not finding the energy to do anything else and wraps herself in their blankets.

* * *

Cassie cracks an eye open in the morning to see Johnny staring at her excitedly. Weirded out by his creepily gleeful expression, she closes her eye again and says; "Don't be a fucking creeper, Cage."

"Aww Punkin, don't be that way," Johnny teases. She opens her eyes again and sees him holding a cupcake out for her. "It's your favorite?" he cajoles her. She sits up and takes the cupcake from him with a one-armed hug. "Happy birthday, Princess."

"Thanks, Dad," she tells him gratefully. "But uh… why are there 5 candles?"

"Because," Sonya begins, flicking her lighter on as she enters the room, "two decades and three singles. I couldn't fit 23 candles on a freaking cupcake, kiddo. What do you take me for?" Johnny gently takes the cupcake from her and holds it towards Sonya. Cassie gapes at her mother as she lights each candle. "What?"

"Wait, hold on." Cassie covers herself in her blankets again, muttering, "I'm still sleeping, la, la, la." She reemerges from the blankets to find both parents staring at her oddly. "Holy shit, _both_ parents are here for my birthday," she exclaims happily. "Yes!"

Sonya smiles at her. "Mmm hmm," she agrees. "Now make a wish. But don't make it too big; I have another cake coming." Rolling her eyes, Cassie blows out the candles and plucks each one out hastily. "Hey! You didn't even make a wish, you little—"

"Mom!" Cassie yelps, halfway through a bite of her treat.

"Relax, Sonya. She'll get her other wish on her cake, right Princess?" he states while ruffling her hair. She whines at him through a full mouth. "Okay, okay, sorry kid. Anyways, happy birthday again."

"Yeah kiddo, happy birthday," Sonya repeats as she and Johnny leave her room.

Fishing for her phone, Cassie takes another bite of her cupcake and decides to take a selfie halfway through, posting it to her page on Friendships. She adds the caption of: "my parents spoil me. #birthdaybitch."

When she finishes eating the cupcake, she decides to get up and stretch, talking herself out of her jitters regarding her first therapy session. "Everything's gonna be okay, Cassie," she prepares herself. "They're professionals and they're supposed to make sure you're comfortable." She yawns loudly and heads to the bathroom to get ready.

* * *

At the pool hall Sonya has rented out for the day, she's having a hard time keeping her annoyance in check as various people start taking samples of her frosting from the cake. "For the love of all that is good and holy in the world, if you don't back the fuck away from this cake, Jackson Vernon Briggs!" she reprimands her best friend. Jax grins at her ruefully as he retracts his finger from the edge of the cake. With a huff, she goes back to spreading her homemade frosting on the cake, smoothing out the bumps his daughter created with her own sticky fingers. When she's satisfied with that, she picks up a blue frosting bag and begins making intricate swirls on the bottom edge of cake, twirling the stand so that she covers the surface. She frowns when she notices a swirl is disturbed. "JAX!" she yells.

He chuckles and wipes his metal fingers on a wash cloth. "Great stuff, Sonya," he compliments her as Takeda laughs at his former commanding officer's reddening face.

"You little shit head," she gripes, trying to smooth over the design. Then she repeats the design on the top edge of the cake. Sonya reaches for a pink tube of decorating frosting before she realizes it's missing. "All right," she begins in a measured voice, "who took my tube?" Throwing a hand to her hips, she levels a look with everyone in the place. Jax raises his hands defensively, Takeda is too busy blowing up balloons, Jacqui is stirring punch, and Kung Jin just shrugs. She finally levels a look with Hanzo and Kenshi, the latter snickering behind the former. "Kenshi… Hanzo…" she warns. They burst into laughter and simultaneously point to Vera, who's sampling the decorating frosting with her finger. " _Vera_!" Sonya scolds, startling the woman enough to fumble with the task of trying to catch the tube before it falls to the floor. She stalks up to Vera and snatches the item from her hands. "Jesus Christ, you guys. I will throw you all outside in the ocean if you keep this up."

"Hey," Takeda starts, holding his hands up, "I'm trying to help."

Sighing, Sonya continues her task of decorating. Despite them all giving her a hard time, she appreciates them helping her. Staring at the top of the cake, Sonya asks, "What should I write on the top? You know, besides 'happy birthday'."

"Cassie," Vera answers.

"Triple C," Jax replies.

"Birthday bitch," Jacqui laughs.

"Sergeant Cage?" Takeda offers.

"Cassandra?" Hanzo and Kenshi contribute hesitantly.

"Military punk," Jin jokes.

Sonya stares at each person in disbelief. "You all are a pain in the ass," she mutters.

"Why don't you put something that reminds her of you?" Johnny questions from the front door. Upon hearing his voice, she turns to him and raises an eyebrow at his empty hands. "They're in the car, I promise," he responds in reference to the cupcakes he'd been sent out for.

She lets out a relieved breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding. "Thanks, John," she tells him gratefully as she walks over to give him a hug. She prolongs the hug for longer than necessary, squeezing some of her love into him. When she pulls back, she gives him a tiny smile before reeling it back into her usual demeanor. "Okay people, we need to hurry up and get this place set up before I send someone to get Cass. C'mon people, hustle!"

They all grumble and roll their eyes at her, with Jax waving his hand dismissively at her.

* * *

It's quiet in the reception area, save for the mechanical whirring of the filter for the aquarium. The walls are painted in a splash of blue and white with matching décor that makes Cassie's eyes burn from staring too long. "Cassandra Cage?" Cassie looks up upon hearing her name being called. The receptionist comes back to the front and says, "She's ready for you now. Please follow me."

Cassie gets up and walks behind the woman obediently, inwardly trying to convince her heart to calm down. Another door opens and a beautiful red head with bright green eyes pops her head out of the door. "Hello. You must be Cassandra. Come in, please." Cassie steps through the room that's painted a serene blue with white art deco couches and long windows. The woman politely gestures Cassie to have a seat while she sits across from her. "I'm Dr. Kate Marsden. We spoke on the phone earlier?"

"Oh," she answers shakily, "yeah, nice to meet you finally."

Cassie wrings her hands nervously, something the doctor immediately picks up on. "I sense your apprehension right now, so I just want to assure you that anything you speak about at any time will stay between us," Dr. Marsden explains. "You're in a safe place. Whenever you're ready, please, tell me what brings you here." She gives Cassie a gentle smile, one Cassie can't help but to return, albeit wobbly.

Tears begin falling down her eyes as Dr. Marsden hands her a soft tissue. "I need to get better emotionally. I just… I'm tired of feeling helpless," Cassie tells the slightly older woman.

"Of course. As long as you're committed, that's what therapy tends to help people with. Getting better that is," Dr. Marsden responds. Cassie nods. "So… what's on your mind right here right now?"

Biting her lip, Cassie begins. "I had a nightmare the other night. About what happened to me. Only, in this one, everyone dies." She shakes her head, trying to clear her mind. "I shouldn't be having them any more."

Dr. Marsden writes something down in her notepad. "How long have these dreams been going on?"

"I dunno, weeks, months. I've lost count," Cassie tells her. She blinks at Cassie, silently coaching her to continue. "Something awful happened to me a couple months back and I'm still not over it. I mean, I've had some pretty crazy shit happen to me before, you know? But I've gotten over it relatively quickly." She laughs humorlessly. "People usually call me the comeback kid."

"I get the feeling that what has happened recently is much worse than past events," Dr. Marsden replies. "And it's something you're being careful in mentioning. That's perfectly normal. Just let me know when it becomes too uncomfortable."

"Yeah," Cassie affirms with a nod.

"Can you tell me anything more about these recurring dreams?"

Cassie swallows. "Just flashes of being in that warehouse again. Being tied to that stupid chair." Cassie's voice begins lifting higher and higher in fright as she says, "My wrists are always hurting now and I know my nose needs to be reset because it hurts to breathe and—"

"All right, all right," Dr. Marsden coos gently, smoothly stopping Cassie from an anxiety attack. Cassie removes her hands from her eyes and blinks at the doctor again. "Hmm. Why don't you tell me about something you're looking forward to? Any special occasions?"

"Today's my birthday?" Cassie responds with a snort.

Bright green eyes widen in shock momentarily before shifting focus. "Oh," she responds, looking back at her notes. "Wow. Well, happy birthday. I had no idea."

"It's cool," Cassie waves off, "I usually don't brag about my birthday anymore. I haven't really enjoyed it since I was like eight or something."

"Any particular reason why?"

Cassie sighs. "For a while, it's been me and my dad for my birthday. My mom would either be getting ready to go on another mission somewhere or she'd be coming back from a mission and she'd be too tired to do anything fun. Then, when my parents got divorced, she'd call way early in the morning, forgetting her time differences.

"Now, my parents have been trying to work on their issues and shit and she's home again, and it's like… I dunno how to feel. It's fucking with me in a way," Cassie explains.

"In what way?" Dr. Marsden inquires politely.

Cassie takes a moment to ponder the question. Then: "It's making me feel like a kid again. On the one hand, I'm happy she's home again. On the other hand, I still have some… I guess _anger_ , towards her for the times she hasn't been here to celebrate my birthday."

"Was her job keeping her away?"

Cassie nods. "I know, it's kind of selfish for me to feel this way, especially considering that we have talked about why she was always away on missions." When Dr. Marsden raises her eyebrows, Cassie continues, "Mom is… oops, she _was_ a general in the army, Special Forces."

"Impressive," she says.

Cassie shrugs. "Something like that."

"Has she been home very long?"

Biting her lip, Cassie answers, "Yeah. She actually retired after the 'thing' happened to me."

"Sounds like she's trying to make amends; extending an olive branch, so to speak. Maybe a part of her feels guilty? Maybe she feels like whatever has happened to you is somehow her fault, and this is her way of making it up to you. _Especially_ if she feels like she has years to make up for."

"Yeah, maybe. But she doesn't _have_ to," Cassie tells her.

"Have you told her that?" she asks gently.

"I—" Cassie starts to argue until a moment flashes in her eyes.

" _Cassie!" Sonya chided Cassie. She snarled at her mother nastily. "I..." she started hesitantly, "I just wanna talk to you."_

" _Well," Cassie begins in a sarcastically snotty tone, "I don't wanna talk to you or anyone else." Sonya's eyes widen in shock at the sudden hostility. "You weren't there! You don't know what the hell I'm going through!" she yelled, making Sonya inch back. "So do me a favor and fuck off,_ _ **General**_ _," she drawled. With a huff, she buried herself in her blankets once again._

"No," she realizes painfully. "I haven't." With an annoyed sigh, Cassie mutters, "Fuck me," under her breath.

Dr. Marsden nods thoughtfully. "It seems like she'd like to hear it from you at the very least if it's difficult for you to show her."

"Yeah, probably," Cassie agrees. She glances at the clock on the wall: 2:57 pm. "Sorry if I ran over my time."

"You're fine. We have two more minutes left. Anything you want to wrap up?" Cassie shakes her head. "Okay. Well, thank you for speaking with me on this. I'll give you a tiny assignment. Mothers usually sacrifice much of their lives the minute they make the decision to keep their child. And for the rest of their lives, they continue to sacrifice just about everything for their child and loved ones, even if they don't show it in the best way possible. If you were to just tell your mother how much she means to you and that you appreciate her, I guarantee you it'll make her day, if not her month, or life even. Let me know how that works out for next week, yeah?"

Cassie nods. "Okay, I'll try," she responds. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem, Cassandra. See you next week, same time?"

"Mmm hmm," she confirms with a smile, scooping her bag from the floor and standing up to leave.

* * *

Jacqui takes out her phone and dials Cassie's number. She holds out the phone and gestures for Takeda to take it from her. "You do it!" he tells her.

"Takeda! No, you have to—"

"Tak—"

"Hello?" Cassie answers through the other line.

"You better!" Jacqui threatens through gritted teeth.

"Jacqui?" Cassie asks again.

Finally, Takeda takes the phone and with a glare, he says, "Hey Cass."

"Hi," Cassie responds warily. "What's going on?"

Takeda growls at Jacqui as she flips him off. "Not much. Uh…" He turns to her for support. She gestures for him to continue. "So… uh... Jacqui and I wanted to take you somewhere today. Where are you?"

Cassie, not having told them about her session being today, stutters over an explanation. "Uh… well, um… I'm… uh… just come get me by… shit."

"Cass?" Jacqui asks.

"Hmm… come by the marina," Cassie finally tells them before hanging up.

Takeda and Jacqui share a look before she shakes her head and starts the car. "Tell Aunt Sonya we're on our way to get her," she instructs Takeda.

"Yes ma'am," Takeda teases with a kiss on the cheek.

When they get Cassie, they notice her sitting on the edge of the pier. "Hey," Jacqui greets carefully.

Cassie hastily wipes a tear away and turns around to face her friend. "Hey girlfriend!" she chirps.

Jacqui stares at her incredulously but still gives her the benefit of the doubt. "Ready?" she asks, holding out a hand to help Cassie stand up. Cassie takes the outstretched hand and stands. The two girls share a hug for a few moments with Takeda snapping pictures of them in secret. "Okay. Let's go."

Meanwhile, Sonya looks at the text on her phone. "Yes!" she whispers triumphantly. "All right, they're on the way," she turns to address everyone. Her phone beeps again and she glances at it. "What the— they're right outside!"

As everyone scrambles to find a hiding spot, Jacqui is heard telling Cassie, "Dude, just shut up and trust me."

"Don't speak to me that way, bitch face!" Cassie teases.

"After today, I'm gonna hurt you, Cass," she threatens.

"Whatever," Cassie snaps humorously. When they get to the front door, Cassie wonders, "Why is it so dark in here? Jacqueline, I swear to God if you—"

"SURPRISE!" everyone yells, jumping out from their places.

Cassie shrieks and screams, "Mother fucker!"

Sonya, hearing her daughter's outburst, admonishes her with, "Hey! Watch your fucking language you little…" Everyone stares at Sonya in disbelief. "I mean… happy birthday kiddo!" Takeda bursts into laughter as everyone slowly follows suit. She practically skips over to Cassie and envelopes her into a bone crushing hug. "Happy birthday," she repeats.

Cassie returns the hug adoringly. "Thanks, Mom." When they release each other, they share a smile before Cassie turns to see everyone else. "Okay, I don't know about you guys, but I'm staving! Where's the grub?"

"Of course," Jacqui teases with an eye roll.

* * *

A couple of hours into the party and the atmosphere has loosened up significantly. It was mostly due to the fact that Johnny spiked the punch bowl when no one was looking; after all, he'd reasoned in his head, they were all legal and consenting adults. He didn't do much to cause any injury, but just enough to get everyone to 'lighten up'.

And lighten up they did. Much more than Sonya had bargained for. She invited her new school friends to the party because she figured they would get along with Cassie. But now she's past the point of worry and onto pure annoyance at each attendee grabbing her at random to dance with them.

"Whoohoo!" her friend Roxanne cheers in her ear, startling her. "C'mon Sonya!" she says, grabbing her hand. Roxanne forces her to stand and starts dancing around her. Sonya just folds her arms, unimpressed. It's only when Johnny grabs her by the hands and presses her flush against his body that she's forced to dance with him. "Yeah, Cage!"

"Johnny!" she mutters through his shirt.

"Shh, shh," he quiets her with a finger to her lips. "Just dance with me," he tells her as he starts to slow dance with her despite the upbeat song. She rolls her eyes but plays along with a stupid grin on her face.

When the song ends, Cassie (who manages to get a hold of a microphone out of the blue) makes an announcement. "Okay guys, my mom wanted me to open presents, so gimme."

"Brat," Johnny mutters.

"She's _your_ brat," Sonya reminds him with a laugh.

They both sit down as Jax and Vera walks up to her. "Here kid," he says, slapping a small box in her hand. "Make sure you use it," he warns her.

With a curious frown, she opens the box to reveal a gold plated Swiss army knife. "Oh shit, thanks Uncle Jax!" she exclaims with a hug to both of them. "And you too, Aunt Vera. Thanks."

Jacqui gives her a custom made leather wallet, "To match your shit expensive jacket," she explains with a shake of her head.

"Aww, Jacqui loves me," Cassie gloats happily.

With a playful scowl, Jacqui replies, "Yeah, don't get used to it."

Flipping her off, she narrowly misses Jin giving her a mini bow and arrow set, one she thinks is "fucking cool as shit." Takeda gets her a new phone case, seeing how he'd accidentally broken her old one. Kenshi, Hanzo, and Johnny pitched in to get her an expensive set of fountain pens from Japan. Some of Johnny's cast and Sonya's friends just gave her a card with varying amounts of money loaded onto gift cards. Of course James tried to showboat his cast mates by giving her a 14-carat gold diamond bracelet. Her eyes go wide at the generous gift but she graciously turns it down. "Thanks though dude," she tells him.

Frowning, Johnny leans into Sonya and says, "You think he has a crush on her?"

Sonya snorts. "She'd rip him to shreds," she answers. Johnny chokes on a laugh.

"You're evil, you know that?"

She shrugs. "Am I lying?" she counters. He laughs but shakes his head, taking a sip of his beer.

"Ooh, guys!" Cassie voices though the mic after a while. "We should play a game!"

"What game?" Jin wonders.

"Good question," she answers. She puts a finger to her chin thoughtfully before snapping her fingers in realization. "Jacq, did you bring it?"

"Bring what?" Jacqui questions.

"The damned game. You said we could play it today," Cassie answers vaguely.

Still confused, Jacqui asks, "What the hell are you talking about, you crazy—?" She has an epiphany and shouts, "Oh yeah! It's in my Jeep!" She gets up, dragging Takeda with her out of the door.

"What game?" Sonya demands, not liking the idea of the girls conspiring together.

Cassie levels a look with Sonya. "Guys, we get to play Twister!"

The younger adults cheer while Jin, Kenshi, and Hanzo all sport confused looks. Johnny smirks evilly, and Sonya and Jax gape. "Aww, fuck no!" Sonya yells, covering her face.

"Afraid of breaking your hip, Grandma?" Johnny teases her.

"You should be afraid of her breaking _your_ hip, Cage," Jax retorts. It's Johnny's turn to gape. "Many base parties back in the day involved Sonya, kegs of beer, and this game. Especially when she used to use her—"

"La, la, la, la, la! Shut up Jackson!" she yells petulantly, covering Johnny's ears. Cassie suppresses a giggle.

Jacqui and Takeda comes back with a couple of board games in their arms. "So," Johnny wonders, "are we really gonna do this?"

"Yes sir!" Cassie answers as she assists her two friends with setting up the game.

"Okay. First game is guys versus gals," Johnny announces. He hands the spinner to Hanzo and makes a head count of those playing. As he realizes the girls outnumber the boys by one, he makes a disapproving sound and pouts. "We're short one guy."

"Good," Sonya starts, "one less ass to kick." The girls jeer and the guys laugh at Johnny's scandalized face.

He stares at her. "Okay, you're going down, Blade," he mocks her playfully.

"Just don't pull a muscle, Cage," she counters back with.

He opens his mouth to reply but then changes his mind at the last minute. Instead, Jacqui teases, "Uncle Johnny's speechless for once in his life." This causes everyone to giggle at his further incensed face. "I'm joking, Johnny. I love you, but you're going down."

"We're still short a guy," Johnny brushes her off.

"May I play?" a voice breaks through the crowd. Immediately, Cassie jogs over to the newcomer and gives him a hug.

"I didn't think you'd make it, loser," she laughs. Yuri returns the hug, wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing gently. When she releases him, she swiftly plants a kiss on his cheek and grabs his arm. "Here, Dad. Now prepare to get caged," she tells Johnny.

"Uh huh, sure Princess," he laughs. He gives a head nod to Yuri and jokingly threatens, "If you try to cheat for my daughter, I'll hunt you down."

Raising a hand in mock defeat, Yuri responds, "I would never do such a thing."

* * *

It's the pinnacle of the first round, guys versus girls; the Cage family plus Yuri and Takeda are left standing… literally. Sonya has managed to twist herself into a bridge between Yuri and Johnny while Cassie's barely hovering above Takeda. Kenshi spins the needle and it lands on the color green in the left hand section. Hanzo snickers mischievously. "Left hand on green," he announces. Takeda's right foot slips from the red space and he somehow brings Sonya down with him. "General Blade and Takahashi, you're out."

"Sorry," Takeda apologizes meekly. Sonya grunts and waves him off.

Johnny snickers. "You're going down, Punkin," he brags.

"Yeah? Well then bring me down, old man," she taunts him. Yuri chuckles. "You're going down too, Ogawa."

"I would like to see you try, Cassandra," he responds playfully. She sticks her tongue out at him. "Real mature."

Kenshi spins again. "Right foot on yellow," Hanzo announces. Kenshi visibly cringes when he hears a loud bang followed by a loud swear word. "And, you are out, Johnny Cage."

"Ha!" Sonya gloats from the punch table.

"Shut it, Sonya," he whines.

"Ready to give up, Yuri?" Cassie questions him.

"No chance in hell," he answers as Kenshi spins again. Yuri places his right hand on a red spot just outside of Cassie's left leg. "Your move, Cage."

She moves her hand to a spot right behind his head. "Done!"

"Left foot on yellow," Kenshi announces. Cassie's next move brings her face hovering right above his, his breath ticking her ear pleasantly. She gives him a dazzling smile and he collapses on the floor before he has the chance to make his move. "And Cassandra has won."

She corrects herself and throws two hands in the air. "Ha, you know it!" she boasts. The males who were involved with the game groans at the upset while the girls whoop and gloat.

"Yeah, yeah," Johnny begins, "I want a rematch."

Hanzo snickers at Johnny's sullen mood. "All right, rematch. Same teams as before, but with a twist."

"Oh, fuck," Sonya is heard muttering, making Jacqui burst into laughter.

"Dirty tactics may be used to win this time," Kenshi adds.

"Double fuck!" Sonya cries with a palm to her forehead. Nonetheless, she rejoins the team of Cassie, Jacqui, Natalie, and Roxanne. Johnny rejoins his team consisting of himself, Yuri, Takeda, James (who sat out last game), and Andrew. At the last minute, Hanzo replaces Andrew who, after looking at his watch, declares his need to wake up early the next morning for work. "Triple fuck!"

"Watch your language, Mom!" Cassie chides her. Sonya flips her daughter off. "You're a real comedienne, Mama Blade."

This round, Jax and Kenshi are in charge of the board. "Okay now, y'all are allowed just about anything except pushing and shoving. And no kicks and punches either, you hear?"

"Yes sir," Jacqui tells him. "Now spin, Dad."

Rolling his eyes at his daughter's bossiness, he calls out, "Oh yeah, we're starting out early. Left hand on green." Everyone follows the direction as Kenshi spins again. "Right hand on red."

"Really?!" Sonya exclaims as her action places her right next to Johnny. "Mother fucker," she grumbles.

"Left foot, yellow," Kenshi instructs. Everyone does what's told of them and he spins again. "Left hand on blue."

Roxanne screams as she falls. "Ew, dude!" she squeals, slapping James upside the head.

"What happened?" Sonya asks her.

"He fucking licked my hand!" she grouses. The players laugh at the injustice.

Shaking his head, Jax looks on as Kenshi spins the needle again. "Right foot on blue, people," he tells them. Jacqui uses her foot to tickle the back of Takeda's ear, making him fall on top of Natalie. Before she's able to brag about her success, she loses her balance and falls. "You three… out," he tells Takeda, Natalie, and Jacqui.

"For the love of Pete," Sonya whines. Out of the girls, she and Cassie remain.

Jax laughs. "All right, right foot on green."

"Mother fucker!" Cassie exclaims as her movement puts her in the most unfortunate of places: right by Johnny's wandering hands. She knew that if they had to move their hands again, she'd be out because he'd go out of his way to tickle her.

Since everyone's right hand was already on red, Kenshi spins again. "Right hand on blue," he informs everyone.

Expecting her father to take her down, Cassie curves her body in a place where she's near Yuri's wandering hands. He lifts his hand and tickles her under her arms. She bursts into uncontrollable giggles and accidentally kicks James in the face, making him fall along with Yuri. Not expecting those results, Cassie laughs evilly as Johnny groans. Now it's down to Johnny, Hanzo, Cassie, and Sonya. "Double flawless victory, here I come," Cassie says gleefully.

"Not a chance in hell," Hanzo reveals.

"Left foot, red," Kenshi lets everyone know. In a desperate attempt to win, Cassie wraps her leg around Hanzo's and pushes until the extra body heat makes her yelp. As a result of this, Cassie falls on her butt painfully. "You are out, Cassandra."

"You were saying, Princess?" Johnny revels in the loss. Turning his head to Sonya, he winks at her. Her eyes go wide in shock, already knowing his plans.

Jax spins and announces, "Left foot on blue."

Miscalculating his footing, Hanzo falls with a groan. Sonya snickers as he crawls away shamefully. She places her foot down after having accidentally (on purpose) brushing it against his crotch. He hisses at the contact. "Okay," Kenshi says, sensing the movements and reddening as a result. "Left hand on blue Sonya and Johnny."

Preparing herself for a tickle attack, Sonya swipes her hand behind Johnny, her face next to his. Unfortunately for her, it leaves him with enough room to reach over and lick the shell of her ear. Unable to suppress it, she moans loudly and falls with a heavy bang. "Dammit!" she complains. Everyone else either coughs awkwardly or turns away with a blush spreading over their faces at Johnny's shameless victory. Cassie covers her face with her hand in embarrassment. Standing up, Sonya fixes her dress before rounding on Johnny. "You… are a dead man!" she yells. She jumps on his back, wrapping her legs around his torso before springing back on her hands and tossing him over. He falls to the floor, but takes her with him, so she lands on top of him.

Johnny's cast and Sonya's friends watch in shock as everyone else pays no attention to them. "But dude, did you fucking see that?!" James wonders while repeatedly hitting Natalie on the arm. Natalie glares at him. "C'mon, I know you all saw that just now!" he addresses Jacqui, Jin, Takeda, and Yuri. They either shrug at him or roll their eyes. "Hey Sonya, you gotta teach me that."

"No," she answers him, standing up again.

When she helps Johnny stand up, she starts slapping him on the chest. "Easy, babe, easy; you know I bruise easily," he reminds her with a cocky grin. "Didn't know you were such a sore loser, honey." She goes to hit him again when she realizes what he just said. She smiles instead, cracking the thinly layered ice between them. He ruins their moment by adding, "Don't worry, you can fix me later."

"Oh, my God!" Cassie shrieks as she covers her ears while Jacqui rubs her eyes.

"It never stops," Jacqui complains.

* * *

After another hour of dancing and mingling around, the party has dwindled down significantly. Natalie's on the phone arguing with her two year old son on the phone over his bed time. "Noah, buddy, you _have_ to listen to Lisa. It's bed time, bud." She pauses and pinches her nose with her fingers. "But Mommy says it's— okay, okay, I will come and read your Timmy story, bud," she concedes. With a regretful sigh, she says to Cassie, "Sorry I can't stay longer…"

"It's cool. Thanks for coming out," Cassie tells her. Natalie gives Cassie a one armed hug and grabs her bag as she continues to coax her son into bed.

"I have to go as well," Roxanne says with a yawn. So she and James leave at the same time. A few minutes after that, Jin and Hanzo leave.

Cassie looks around at the remaining party goers who are all either sleeping or fighting off sleep. "These guys look tired," she notes to Yuri with a nod towards Kenshi. His arms are folded and he's struggling to stay upright.

With a mischievous grin, Yuri fishes a grape out of his drink and tosses it in the general direction of Kenshi. Without missing a beat, Kenshi swats at the grape and it changes direction, hitting Johnny's sunglasses with a ping. "What the—?" he starts drowsily.

Cassie and Yuri dissolve into fits of giggles. "You're such a trouble maker!" she whispers to him with a playful shove.

"Shh," he cajoled, pressing his finger to his lips. He takes out another grape and throws it at Johnny. Unfortunately, it hits Sonya and she sits up in a rush. Yuri turns away guiltily and Sonya narrows her eyes at Takeda and Jacqui. "Whoops," he announces quietly.

Sonya balls up a piece of paper and throws it at the couple. Jacqui squeals and shouts, "Why, Aunt Sonya?"

"One of you threw a damn grape at me," she gripes.

"I didn't!" she defends herself. She whirls on Cassie and scowls. "I'm gonna get you, Cass."

"Bring it!" Cassie goads her.

"Wait!" Sonya shouts at the girls. They turn to her. She starts moving chairs and tables around to make more space, moving Johnny in his chair to the center. "Okay, there's your target," she tells them. Jacqui throws the ball of paper at Johnny, which hits him upside the head. He lifts his glasses from his face and gives Sonya a death glare. "Hi darling," she greets him innocently. As a result, he gets up from his chair and throws her over his shoulder, smacking her butt repeatedly. "Put me down!" she yells at him.

"Nope," he tells her, carrying her out of the pool hall.

Cassie turns to Yuri and laughs. "All of that over a grape, dude!" she giggles.

Jacqui shakes her head at the two of them. "Great, two pranksters. Y'all make such a cute couple," her voice drips with blatant sarcasm.

Before she can confirm or deny, a blush creeps through the surface of Cassie's cheeks. Instead, she says, "I hate you."

"Love you too, babe," Jacqui teases with a wink.

Outside, Johnny places Sonya on the floor not gently. She whines at the action and slaps him once more on the chest. "You done hitting me?" he asks playfully with a smirk on his face. She narrows her eyes at him in response. They stand there uneasily, not knowing what to say to one another. Johnny kicks at invisible rocks while Sonya folds her arms, protecting them from the sudden chill that has set in after the sunset. Finally, it's Johnny who breaks the ice with, "I'm sure Cassie enjoyed herself tonight."

"Yeah," she says, taking the offhand compliment. "Thanks." More awkward silence ensues. Then: "I can't tell if you're still annoyed or mad at me, John."

"I'm neither mad nor annoyed," he tells her. She gazes at him curiously. "I'm hurt, Sonya."

She gapes. "Wait, what?"

"Well, I'm hurt over what you said. About not loving me the same way as your ex-fiancé?" She opens her mouth to respond when he continues, "I've moved on from my ex-wife; I've told you everything about our relationship when we first got married, Sonya. Why couldn't you do the same?"

Sonya bites her lip thoughtfully. "I…" she begins. "I'm sorry, John. You're right. You were forthcoming with me, and I truly apologize. But hear me out for a second, right?

"With your… _ex-wife_ ," she starts, emphasizing the last word nastily, "at least you got to say goodbye. I didn't get that chance. Not in the physical sense at least."

He chooses his next words carefully. "Did you go to his funeral?" She looks away guiltily. "Sonya?"

She sighs. "I almost didn't," she admits. "I couldn't bring myself to go considering how it was my fault he was even killed in the first place. How could I look each and every person in the face and deliver his eulogy with that kind of knowledge on my conscience? I couldn't do it, John. It took three of my commanding officers, Jax included, to get me out of bed and into my service fatigues.

"And then, knowing that only Jax really knew how I felt about him. I made him keep us a secret for years. I couldn't tell his family that I was engaged to him," she explains.

"Can I ask a serious question? And it may sound insensitive—"

"I already know what you're going to ask," she cuts him off with, "and the answer is 'no'. No, he didn't have a second wife or anything like that. _I_ was the one who wanted it a secret. I somehow had a target on my back with the Black Dragon because I'd gone around poking around in shit I wasn't supposed to," she laments, swiping a tear from her eyes. She takes a deep breath and says, "The less people they knew I cared about, the better."

Accepting her explanation, Johnny nods understandingly and says, "I think I can understand that."

Sonya stares at him. "I'm sorry I… I didn't mean to hurt you. I swear. That's the last thing I ever want to do." He pulls her closer to him and hugs her. She returns it, burying her head in the crook of his neck.

"I already forgave you, honey," he responds as they pull apart.

"So why haven't you been calling me something sweet?" she wonders.

He laughs softly. "You were serious?" She frowns at him. "You asked me the same thing while you were drunk off your ass. I thought you were just talking gibberish." She blinks at him. "Never mind, woman. Come here," he tells her as he pulls her in for another hug. "I love you," he states.

"Love you too," she counters.

* * *

"Okay," Cassie begins, taking out her phone, "I have a selfie with everyone else except you. That's gotta change, dude." Yuri groans. "Hey! Don't give me an attitude, mister!" she playfully scolds him. She scoots her chair closer to him and wraps her arms around his shoulder, bending it so she's able to capture both of their faces. The camera flashes and she looks at her phone. "Aww fuck, dude, you closed your eyes?!"

"Well, I was not expecting the flash," he responds.

She scoffs and tries again. "Ew, I hate the way I look here." He shakes his head at her. "Shush!" she chides as she takes another picture. "Okay," she says, clearly impressed with the latest attempt. "That's better. And my pout is flawless, I must say," she brags.

"I agree," he tells her. Reaching under his chair, he slides a medium sized box wrapped with a criminally perfect bow over to her. "I figure you will like this."

She stares at the box incredulously. "Dude… you didn't have to get me anything."

"Shall I return it then?" he questions her with a frown, believing it was too forward of him to get her something.

"No, no!" she back pedals, "it's okay that you did. I just wasn't expecting it. It's sweet of you." To reaffirm her statement, she presses her lips to his cheek for the second time.

"In any case… will you open it now?" he wonders.

"No," she teases. Nevertheless, she carefully unravels the bow and uncovers the gift. She lifts the top of the box and gasps. "No," she mutters, "you did not… oh, my God."

Thinking she's disappointed in the present, Yuri frowns. "I can always return it—"

"No!" Cassie shouts at him. With wide eyes, she stumbles over her explanation. "I'm… oh, my God, this is perfect. Dude, I love this!" She carefully takes the shutter camera out of its box and turns it around in her hands, observing it with wide curious eyes. "Jesus, this is fucking perfect!" setting the camera down carefully, she grabs him by the neck and hugs him again, one he returns enthusiastically. "Thanks so much!"

"You are welcome," he replies with a smile. He watches as she checks the camera, testing each button. "I vaguely remembered you saying you've wanted one," he tells her.

"Aww, and you listened!" she chirps happily. She gives him one more hug. "How can I repay you?" she wonders.

"Use it well," he simply advises. She gives him another smile. She leans into him, pressing her lips into his quickly before returning her attention to her camera. "Did you mean to do that? Because I barely felt that," he says cheekily.

"Oh, really?" she plays along. "Shall I try that again?" He nods and she leans in again.

"All right, time to go," Sonya tells everyone. They all groan, albeit for different reasons. Takeda and Jacqui rub at their eyes sleepily. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But c'mon, I have to get this place cleaned up tonight."

"I'll help you, Mom," Cassie says, getting ready to stand until Yuri gently touches her arm.

"I will help. You rest," he tells her. She raises an eyebrow as he begins stacking up the used plates and plastic cutlery to throw them away.

"Hey, Cass?" Sonya addresses her. Cassie looks up from her camera. "Happy birthday, kid," she states as she tosses her a set of keys. "Enjoy."

Cassie catches the keys with one hand. "Ooh! My own apartment?" she laughs.

Sonya narrows her eyes. "Don't push it, Cass," she responds. Cassie rolls her eyes. "Look closer."

Cassie does as she's told and she stares at them flabbergasted. "Is this what I think it is?!"

Sonya shrugs. "You tell me," she answers with a wink. Immediately, Cassie goes outside. "Wait for it," she tells Yuri jokingly.

"Holy mother of shit!" they both hear Cassie exclaim from outside.

Yuri laughs as Sonya gives him a knowing look. "Told you."

Cassie runs back inside. "You actually got me the V Star 250 I've always wanted?! I though you forgot about it!"

"I didn't forget. I just said you can have it when you're older. You've wanted one since you were 13," she reminds Cassie.

Cassie squeezes her mother into a hug. "Thanks, Mom!" Sonya returns the hug. Cassie then goes to her dad and says, "Thanks for the shindig, Daddy-o."

"Uh," Johnny responds as he hugs her back, "I didn't set this up, Princess. That was your mother's doing."

Cassie grins at her mom. "Really?" Sonya shrugs modestly, so Cassie runs back to her and embraces her again. "Thanks Mama. I really appreciate all of this."

Swallowing tears, Sonya gives her daughter a kiss on the cheek and says, "Not a problem, kiddo."

"Love you, Mama Blade," she tells her gratefully.

She smiles. "I love you, too."

* * *

 **A/N:** Phew! This is 8,853 words, not including the disclaimer and such. It's now the longest chapter in the fic, so I hope the wait was worth it. If you think it was (or wasn't), please let me know. No flames; only constructive criticism. Also, do you think the conflict between Sonya and Johnny is over? Let me know your thoughts as per usual.


	13. Officially Yours

**Disclaimer:** As of this day, I _still_ don't own Mortal Kombat or any of its properties. I'm merely using the characters for fun (not profit).

 **Author's Note:** This chapter might seem a little short, but it's packed with adventure (if you squint). With that said, enjoy.

* * *

Saturday morning, Jacqui and Takeda are arguing with each other over a phone call. Holding out her phone to him, she grits, "Do it! Do it for the family!"

"Jacqui, not this this again!" he argues, shoving her phone back into her chest.

"I already dialed—"

"I don't care!"

"Takahashi Takeda, I swear to God if you don't—"

"You're not the boss of me—"

"Yeah?" Cassie snaps through the phone. The couple goes wide eyed before giving each other the death glare. "Hello?!"

"Jacqueline—" Takeda starts.

"Stop it!" she whispers.

"HEY!" Cassie screams over the phone.

Shaking his head at the two bickering young adults, Yuri grabs the phone from the both of them. "Good morning Cassandra," he greets her pleasantly despite the dirty look he throws his cousin and his girlfriend.

"What's going on?" she demands.

Yuri frowns, waving a fist at Takeda who shrugs. "I was trying to do something semi-romantic, but these two idiot fools have ruined it for me."

In her room, Cassie explodes into hysterical laughter so boisterous it sends Johnny and Sonya running into her room half asleep. She covers her mouth as they stare at her. "Sorry, I'm sorry," she apologizes through giggles. Johnny waves a dismissive hand while Sonya growls at her. When they retreat back to their room, Cassie continues, "Idiot fools? You know that's redundant, right?"

"Why are you mocking me?" he asks wearily.

"Aww, c'mon, I'm not mocking you in a mean way. I just think it's cute," she tries to soothe him.

"I would not associate myself with being 'cute'," he gripes. She rolls her eyes at his petulance. "And I am ignoring the fact that you have just rolled those beautiful eyes of yours."

She blushes profusely. "Smooth," she compliments as she pinches her cheeks in an attempt to regain some control of her emotions.

"Moving on," he continues without missing a beat, "are you available tonight?"

"Possibly," she teases. "I _might_ have a date with a handsome guy tonight."

He's about to protest when he realizes what she has just said. "Now who's smooth?"

For some ridiculously odd reason, Cassie can hear the flush in his voice. "Still you, dude. No seriously, I'm free tonight. Why? What's up?"

"Well…" he begins before he's interrupted by Takeda.

"He wants to take you to dinner!" Cassie hears Takeda shout.

"At some fancy restaurant so wear something pretty!" Jacqui chimes in with.

Cassie looks at the ceiling, exasperated. "Tell them to shut it."

"Cassandra said to shut it!" Yuri echoes as Takeda and Jacqui are heard scoffing indignantly. With an annoyed sigh, he continues, "Yeah, what they said. Dinner at a fancy restaurant. Wear something… I don't know. Surprise me."

"Aren't you gonna tell me where? Just so I know?" Cassie asks him.

"Negative," he responds. "Jacqueline said she will help you." Cassie groans loudly and hides under the blankets when she hears one of her parents opening the door to their room. "Fret not, Cassandra. I trust her judgment. I will see you tonight?"

"Yeah," she whispers, "see ya." She feigns sleep when she hears footsteps outside her room. "Oops," she mutters when she hears the door creak open.

She lies still as the mystery parent tiptoes into her room and opens a drawer. A grumbled, "Shit," gives the parent away.

"Mom," Cassie says from under the covers, "we have a washing machine, you know."

Sonya huffs. "I know. I keep forgetting to do my damn laundry. Besides, I bought you all of these cute things and you don't even wear them."

With a groan, Cassie sits up in bed. "Dude, Mom… c'mon." Sonya rolls her eyes at the nickname. "Why don't we go shopping?"

Sonya snorts. "Like you'd wanna be seen in public with your mother," she responds teasingly.

"You don't know that. Besides," Cassie starts, throwing the covers to the side and stretching loudly, something Sonya giggles at. "I have to wear something 'fancy' for tonight."

Sonya turns to her daughter with a teasing eyebrow lifted. "Hot date, huh?" Cassie nods with a smile. "Hmm… I'll take you up on that offer. I'll try to get my laundry sorted and when I'm done, we'll go?"

"Sure," she replies.

"In the meantime," Sonya states, holding an S-F t-shirt in her hands, "I'm borrowing this. Thanks." With another eye roll, Cassie shoos her mother out of the room.

* * *

Outside by the driveway, Cassie leans against Johnny's jeep playing with her phone. When Sonya meets her outside, she looks up with a smile. "So, I'm driving?"

Sonya laughs. "Nice try, kiddo. You get shotgun," she informs her.

She walks towards the jaguar and opens the driver's door. "Um… where are you going? Dad never lets anyone drive that."

"You mean he never lets _you_ drive it."

Cassie makes a face. "Unreal," she complains as she slides into the passenger seat. "Mall?" Sonya nods as she starts the car.

The car ride is quiet, save for the crunching noises coming from Cassie's phone and the occasional honk from Sonya. Then, "So… do you have any idea where you're going tonight?" Sonya asks Cassie.

"Not a clue," she answers, still engrossed in her game. "Jacqui told me to 'wear something fancy' and that was it." Sonya smirks knowingly. "What?" she questions when she sees her mother's look. "What do you know that I don't?" Sonya chuckles. " _Mom_."

"I know nothing," she responds a little too quickly. Cassie stops her game to glare at Sonya. "You're not getting anything out of me, kid."

"Ugh," she groans playfully, "you're so annoying."

Sonya pulls into the parking lot of the mall and shuts off the engine. "I'm your mom; it's my job to be annoying."

Cassie shakes her head at her mother. "This better be worth it," she mutters. Sonya drags Cassie into the first clothing store she sees. "Mom, no! That store is for teens."

Rolling her eyes, Sonya points to the store across from it and asks, "What about that one?" Cassie shrugs and Sonya grabs her hand.

She tugs her gently into the new store where she's immediately greeted by an enthusiastic employee, whom she recognizes as Nicole from school. "Oh, hi Sonya," she greets her politely. "If you and your sister need help, just let me know, okay?"

"Sister?" Cassie muses.

"Yep, you got it," Sonya replies hastily before dragging Cassie to the dressier side of the store. When Cassie opens her mouth to say something, Sonya chides her with, "Don't say a word." Cassie giggles and starts looking through the racks.

A couple of hours and several bags of clothing later, Sonya and Cassie finally decide to stop at the food court for something to eat at the sushi place. While Sonya is tucking into her lobster roll, Cassie stares at her specialty eel avocado sashimi roll awkwardly. Sonya raises an eyebrow curiously at her daughter, halfway through a bite. When Cassie sighs, Sonya places her chopsticks neatly on her tray and waits until she's finished chewing before saying something. "What's wrong?"

Cassie swallows. "I don't think I'm hungry anymore," she replies regretfully, pushing her own tray aside. Frowning, Sonya wipes at her mouth and silently inquires. "I'm scared."

"Why?"

"Because… once we go on this date, it's pretty much official," she laments.

Biting her lip, Sonya asks, "Would that be a bad thing?" Cassie shrugs. "All right, I'll rephrase; do you _want_ it to be official?"

"I literally don't know," Cassie repeats. Sonya folds her hands under her chin and leans forward. "I mean… I do like him a lot and I've told him this, but it's just… it's weird. In the back of my head, I keep thinking about something you told me a long time ago."

"Oh?"

Cassie takes a deep breath. "Remember you told me how Dad mopped the floor with Shinnok in order to save you?" Sonya nods carefully. "And then you went on a date with him. I'm not gonna bother to fill in the blanks between that date and you both conceiving me." Cassie shakes her head in mild disgust as Sonya struggles with the effort of concealing her laughter. "Anyway, he said you saved him, too."

"That much is true," Sonya acknowledges with a nod and another eyebrow hitch.

"So… I mean…" Cassie starts hesitantly. "Fuck, he saved my life. I _owe_ him. But I mean… barring me saving his life, how the hell do I repay him? How _can_ I repay him?"

Sonya looks at her daughter intently, thinking of a way to explain her feelings. "Well," she begins as she picks up her chopsticks again, "honestly, I didn't mean to have to save his life in that way, you know?" Cassie nods and Sonya smirks inwardly when she sees her daughter picking up her chopsticks as well, taking a bite of her eel avocado roll. "However, it happened and it was unexpected, yes, but I'm grateful it happened; it's one of the things I wouldn't change for the world. Your father once told me that I saved him in other ways, you know?

"I'm not sure how much you actually know of him, so there's no way to know what he's been through. Who's to say you _haven't_ saved him?" Sonya asks Cassie. Cassie looks up from her food. "You don't have to rescue someone in the physical sense to 'save' them… if that makes any sense."

"It does," she tells her mother, finishing the last bite of her food. When she leans back, she stares open mouthed at her now empty tray. "What the… how… when did I just eat this?" Sonya smirks, pleased with herself. "You did that weird thing you do, didn't you?"

Sonya laughs. "You mean the thing where I get you to eat when you need to?" she asks innocently. Cassie blinks at her. "It works like a charm every time."

"You're such a mom," Cassie laughs. "Anyway," she continues, "I get what you mean. I just don't feel like it'll ever be enough, you know? At least with you and Dad, you guys managed to even the score; Dad beat the shit out of Shinnok to save you."

"And I scrambled Quan Chi's eggs to save him from becoming a revenant," Sonya finishes. Cassie's eyes go wide and she bursts into giggles. "What?"

"Oh, my God, those were the same exact words Dad used. I thought he made that shit up. So wait, did you really?"

"I was desperate," Sonya answers. Cassie laughs even harder, wiping tears from her eyes. After a few moments, Sonya joins her, adding, "I had to break the link somehow, and punching him wasn't working." It takes them a while to settle down from their mirth. When they do, Cassie starts clearing the table as Sonya checks her watch. "Yeah, I think we're done here. Let's go."

* * *

Unbeknownst to her parents, Cassie's internal struggle with her choice of outfits begin to take a toll on her emotionally, developing rapidly into talking herself out of her date. It takes both Jin and Takeda in a conference call to calm her down. When she does, she finally settles on her outfit just as the doorbell rings. "Oh, fucking really?!" she wonders aloud, thinking it's Jacqui coming over to help her get 'dolled up'. She rolls her eyes at the thought and puts the finishing touches on her mascara.

Meanwhile, Johnny and Sonya are on the couch talking quietly when the doorbell rings. Unaware of company, they both look at each other before debating on answering. "Mom, Dad! Can you guys get the door? It's probably Jacqui," Cassie calls from upstairs in her room.

"Sure thing, Princess," Johnny answers her. Turning to Sonya, he prods, "Honey?"

Glaring at him, she pinches him and gets up. She opens the door to find Yuri standing in front of her. Curiously, she tilts her head to the side, wondering what prompted his unexpected visit, not entirely remembering he may be whom Cassie was referring to in their earlier conversations. "Hello," she responds curiously.

"Good evening, General Blade," he addresses her politely with a bow.

"Oh!" she responds while blushing at his formality, "that isn't necessary. Has Hanzo sent you?"

His face flushes unabashedly. "Uh, not quite, General."

"Who's at the door?" Johnny asks her from his place on the couch.

She turns to him and answers, "It's uh…" She looks at him again and asks, "What's your name again?"

"Yuri-Nato Ogawa," he replies. Swinging the door open further, she gestures for him to enter. Before the party the day before, the last time Sonya saw Yuri was after Cassie was released from the hospital, so it was a pleasant surprise to see again under more favorable circumstances. "Actually, I am here because—"

"Okay, I'm coming down," Cassie calls from upstairs and makes her way down the steps, narrowly missing the tricky creaking step. "Okay Jacq, you better approve of this because I've changed my mind—" she starts to ramble before stopping in front of Yuri. "Oh," Cassie mutters as she blushes helplessly. She inhales sharply as she revels in his appearance: his face is twisted into an amused expression with a smirk over his face; his hair is thrown over his shoulder, boasting its true length. He's wearing a cyan blue button down shirt that brings out the silvery tone of his eyes and navy blue slacks. Cassie also notices him holding a bundle of hyacinth flowers in his hands. "Oh," she mumbles again, at a loss for words.

Johnny, having gotten up from the couch to stand by Sonya, snickers. "Wow. There's a first; Cassie's speechless," he teases.

"Sad the same can't be said for you, Cage," Sonya jokes with Johnny who pouts as Yuri laughs.

Holding out the flowers to Cassie, Yuri says, "I hope you like these. I remember they're your favorite?"

Cassie takes the bundle from him and places them under her nose, relishing in their comforting scent. "Oh," she gasps once more.

Yuri chuckles. "Use your words, Cassandra," he quips with a wink, making her parents laugh.

Johnny slaps a hand on Yuri's shoulder. "Funny, smart, handsome, _and_ saves my daughter," he states, "I think I approve. Don't you, baby?"

"Absolutely," she agrees with a rare smile. "Come on; let me get you something to drink while we fulfill our obligations as parents to 'embarrass our daughter with baby pictures'." She takes the flowers from Cassie's hands and places them in the vase by the living room table.

Finally shaking herself out of her musings, Cassie gapes and shouts, "Mom, no!" This makes Yuri chuckle at her while placing a soft hand on her hip. "Don't _even_ think about it," she scolds him in reference to the pictures that may or may not make an appearance.

"Why not? I would like to see these pictures," he whispers in her ear impishly. He gives Cassie a once over, observing her outfit consisting of a periwinkle blue sleeveless crop top and a long floral print A-line hi-low skirt. "You look amazing by the way."

"Thanks," she replies, giving him a smooch on the cheek, "you're not so bad looking yourself, handsome."

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Sonya and Johnny are in the kitchen observing their daughter and her date. "He's a good lookin' kid," Johnny tells Sonya. She's about to agree with him when he brags, "Not as good looking as me, but he's definitely a close call."

"Really, Johnny?" she chides playfully, shaking her head at him affectionately. He shrugs in response.

Half an hour later, the quartet are sitting on the couch; Cassie's head are buried in her hands, Yuri has a hand on her shoulder, Sonya is holding the photo album in her grasp and Johnny's arm is slung casually across the back of the couch, a huge smirk on his face.

"And this is Cassie right before her first recital," Sonya explains, pointing to a picture of Cassie at four years old pouting in her tutu and ballet shoes. Yuri observes the picture with a laugh as Cassie buries her head further into her hands.

" _Mom_!"

"That was her last recital," Johnny explains as Yuri's eyes go wide in shock. "She accidentally shadow kicked the crap out of her frenemy Isla during the performance."

" _Dad_!"

Yuri looks at another picture of Cassie pouting, presumably taken right after said recital was over. "Like father, like daughter huh?" he teases as he pinches Cassie's cheeks.

"Yuri!" she scolds him as her parents laugh.

"Aww, c'mon, Princess, if he's gonna be part of the family, he has to know what he's getting himself into," Johnny tells her while pulling her hands away from her face. Realizing what was just said, Cassie scowls at her dad. "So, wanna see some pictures of her in gymnastics?" he asks Yuri, leaning in to grab a different album.

"Yeah," Sonya continues as she closes the one she has in her hands, "these are gonna be fun."

"Guys!" Cassie whines, taking one of the couch pillows and burying her face in it.

Finally deciding to save his date from further embarrassment, Yuri pipes in with, "We shall save those for another day. In the meantime, I have no idea what sort of leniency I have with the reservations—"

"Right, right," Johnny tells him, getting up from the couch. Cassie rushes to slip on her silver sandals. "So," Johnny speaks as he turns to the two, "be careful, don't stay out too late… well, if you do stay out late, make sure you're in a hotel or somethin'—"

Both women turn to Johnny incredulously. "Dad!" Cassie yelps while Sonya snaps, "John!"

"That will not be necessary, I promise," Yuri ensures, blushing as he holds out his hand for Cassie to take. "Have a good evening."

"Yeah, bye parents," Cassie deadpans, closing the door in a rush behind her.

* * *

It's been half an hour into their dinner and Cassie and Yuri have yet to make up their minds about what to eat. She holds up the menu at eye level, lowering it slightly at times to look over at him while he is running his finger down his menu on the table, occasionally looking up at her. When they both catch each other's eyes, they smile nervously. Finally: "Would you like to get some wine?" he asks her politely.

She lowers the menu slightly to look at him. "Uh… sure, that's cool," she answers. He waves down their waiter and gestures for her to order. "Oh, um…" Cassie notes a few of her favorites but doesn't want to order them based on price; it would seem rude of her to request something so extravagant. "Fuck," she mutters to herself.

"Price is of no concern to me," he informs her. She glances up at him and he nods at her. "I am sure," he answers her unvoiced question.

"All right," she replies slowly, scanning the list once more. "Hmm… can we try the _Francois Crochet, Sancerre_?"

Their waiter smiles at them. "Excellent choice _mademoiselle_ ," he states. He leaves their table to fetch their wine.

Yuri beams at her. "That _is_ a good choice," he compliments her. She returns his smile gently. "Have you an idea of what you would like?" She shakes her head just as their waiter returns with their wine. He pours them each a glass and leaves the bottle on their table. Without thinking, Cassie grabs her glass and takes a big swallow as Yuri's silver eyes go wide in shock. Before she's able to drain her glass completely, his hand swoops in and gently releases it from her grip. "Cassandra," he lulls, throwing her a concerned look as he caresses her hand. "Do not be nervous."

"I can't help it," she retorts as she blows out a breath. She closes her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you," she apologizes. Biting at her lip, she decides to say what's on her mind. "Okay, yeah, I'm nervous as fuck."

Yuri raises a curious eyebrow at her. "Do I scare you?"

She shakes her head vigorously. "No, it's not that. It's just…" She sighs again. "I'm over thinking this." She rubs at her forehead with her hands. "Okay, let's try this again. How'd you find this place?"

Yuri smirks. "I've had help in high places," he answers vaguely. She narrows her eyes at him. "Your father helped," he admits with a shameful blush on his face.

"Oh, Dad," she laughs. "Nah, I like this place though; it's chill. You weren't lying when you said it was gonna be fancy." He nods. "I think I know what I want to get, but tell me more about you."

He picks up his wine and takes a small sip. "Well, what would you like to know?"

Cassie shrugs as the waiter comes back to their table. Instead of answering the question at hand, she turns to the waiter and tells him, "Can I get the _Cassoulet de Toulouse_?" The waiter nods as he turns to Yuri. Yuri nods towards Cassie again. "You want me to…?" she asks and he nods. "Okay, and uh… he'll get the _Bouillabaisse_."

"Very well," the waiter tells them both, "I will be back with your orders."

Turning back to Yuri, she answers his initial query. "Well, when Jacqui was trying to set me up with you without actually knowing it was you, she mentioned you as Takeda's cousin. Did you guys grow up together?"

He takes another sip of his wine and replies, "Well, we did initially until he left. After his mother passed away, I heard he was taken to live with his father, but I did not know how much truth it sustained."

"Until now, am I right?"

"Something of the sort," he answers. "It was only after I joined the Shirai Ryu did I find out what happened to Takeda."

"Ahh," she nods, folding her hands under her chin similarly to Sonya. "So you've only just reunited with your uncle Kenshi a couple of years ago?"

He shakes his head. "You mean if I have only _met_ Uncle Kenshi a few years ago," he politely corrects her. She raises an eyebrow at him. "See, Takeda's mother was my Aunt Suchin through my father; they were siblings. I knew nothing of his dad."

"Oh shit, really?" she wonders.

"Yeah," he answers. "I say uncle out of respect in the same manner you refer to Jacqueline's father as your uncle."

"You're right about that," she tells him with a smile as they continue their conversation over dinner.

* * *

After finishing dinner and dessert (which they playfully fought over), Yuri and Cassie are standing outside of the Cage residence looking at each other awkwardly. "So," Cassie starts, breaking the silence, "I had a really good time tonight."

"As did I," Yuri responds. A few more beats of silence passes between them before he grabs both of her hands in his. He caresses them softly before bringing them to eye level and intertwining their fingers. With a gentle pull, he brings her closer to him, their noses almost touching. "We should do this more often."

"Yeah," she manages to choke out, her breath hitching in her throat at their close proximity. She smiles as he leans even closer to her. Just when their lips are about to touch, she hears what she thinks is one (or both) of her parents passing by the door to head up the stairs. "Still waiting for that interruption," she laughs.

He shakes his head at her, inadvertently giving her an Eskimo kiss. "You are causing this at the moment," he scolds her humorously.

"Probably," she agrees. Without another hesitation, she presses her lips to his softly, lingering for a few seconds. He takes the opportunity to grab her bottom lip with his teeth, slipping his tongue into her mouth and she wraps both arms around his neck. They continue to kiss, breathing into each other. When they separate from each other, she stares into his now darkening eyes. "Holy shit," she sighs, unable to format coherent thoughts.

"Lady Swears-a-lot," he teases. She mutters an apology and he replies, "No need to apologize."

Running her fingers through his hair, Cassie questions, "You sure about that?" Yuri nods and she leans in to give him another smooch. "I'm going back to base tomorrow, so I have to sleep," she informs him regretfully.

"That is fine. As long as you are ready," he tells her. He holds her hands once more and presses both of her knuckles to his lips. "Have the most pleasant of dreams, Cassandra."

"Okay," she replies with a lovelorn sigh. She slips into the house and presses her back to the door. Slowly, she slides down to the floor and touches her lips gingerly with a smile.

"That well, huh?" her mother's voice breaks through her reverie.

Cassie looks up to see Sonya smirking at her from the couch. "Oh, you have no idea," she tells her. She begins unbuckling her sandals and kicks them off. "It was… yeah, it went well."

Sonya laughs lightly. "I'm glad."

Finally standing up from the floor, Cassie begins walking up the stairs. "I dunno when I'll see you again, but goodnight Mom. I'm going back to duty tomorrow."

A stab of sadness hits Sonya in the heart. "Yeah. Night Cass," she tells her daughter sadly. Cassie turns back around at the tone of voice her mother uses and gives a sad smile. She shuffles back to Sonya and presses a kiss to her cheek. "Thanks kiddo."

"Anytime."

* * *

Monday comes entirely too quickly for Sonya's liking as she's heading to Interrealm Studies. While walking to class, she's swept into a bear hug by Roxanne, Andrew, and Nicole. "Sonya!" they cheer happily.

She awkwardly pats each of their heads. "Hey," she greets them.

Roxanne links her arm with Sonya's and they all enter the classroom. "Cassie's party was fucking epic!" she lets Sonya know happily.

"Oh my God, yes!" Nicole agrees as Andrew laughs. "You're easily the winner of the 'best step mom' award."

Before Sonya can protest, Andrew chimes in with, "Yeah, the honor bestowed upon Sonya is 'best and hottest step mom ever'. I'll make the award just so I can give it to you."

She frowns at them. "Step mom?" she questions them, wondering how they all came to the conclusion.

"Well," Andrew explains, "Johnny Cage has been divorced before and he had a kid with his ex-wife. The kid being Cassie and all."

"But you two are married now, so yeah," Roxanne finishes.

"Pfft," Nicole snorts, "I literally thought they were sisters, but that theory works better." Turning to Sonya, she adds, "Well, you're probably the coolest step mom ever."

Sonya bites her lip nervously. "Either way, thanks," she finally settles with as Professor Valdez enters the classroom.

"All right, so we're getting to the good stuff now, aren't we?" Valdez asks the class as they all agreed. "Right, so, who can tell me what happened after Shao Kahn was defeated?" Sonya looks around the classroom, hoping someone would answer. Instead, he looks right at Sonya and asks, "Do you know anything Sonya?"

Though she looks cool and composed on the outside, her brain is screaming at her to play possum. "Uh," she starts, stalling for time. She bites her lip again as she remembers exactly how she felt at the bittersweet victory; seeing all of her friends, especially Jax dead at Sindel's hands brought the threat of bile rising up to her throat. She swallows uneasily and says, "Um… many of the defenders died and became undead slaves of Quan Chi."

"Holy fuck, like a revenant? I didn't know they actually existed! I thought that was an old legend, like the Loch Ness monster or some shit like that," Roxanne exclaims. Sonya narrows her eyes at the memory.

Professor Valdez nods. "Exactly that," he agrees. "And does anyone know why they became revenants?"

Sonya grits her teeth in an attempt to control her anger. She swallows. "Because part of the deal between Quan Chi and Shinnok was allowing the former to enslave the souls of the champions when they died. It was Shinnok's way of building an army to fight against the Elder Gods." She knew that they'd get to this point when she decided to enroll in this class, but it did nothing to quell the feelings she was currently experiencing. Taking a deep breath, Sonya continues, "The only way to release them from control was through…" She pauses. How the hell was she supposed to explain her helping Raiden break the link between Quan Chi and their souls?

Fortunately, the professor sees her point. "Yep, you're right Sonya. The link between the revenants and Quan Chi had to be broken in order to release their souls and restore them back to the living."

"How?" Nicole inquires.

Professor Valdez smiles and with a dramatic sweep of his arms, he remarks, "Divine intervention." The class except Sonya chuckles. For the rest of the class, he talks to the class about the history of Raiden and his methods for choosing kombatants. Eliciting a relieved sigh, the class ends at the most convenient time and Sonya narrowly escapes a mental breakdown.

* * *

When Johnny gets home from working on set, he notices Sonya, or rather her long hair unraveled from its usual braid, hanging off the couch. His only notification of her being conscious is the clicking of her booted feet against each other slowly. He closes the door as softly as possible, unwilling to disturb her peace. He turns to walk up the stairs quietly when he changes his mind. Instead, he calls her softly. "Do you want pizza?"

"No," she answers.

Frowning, he doubles back down and stares at the couch. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I'm not exactly hungry," she responds, wiping a tear away.

"Is everything okay?"

With a sigh, she mumbles, "No. It's not."

In a second, he's standing over her and she lifts her upper body, giving him space to sit. He takes it and she places her head back on his lap. "I know it's bound to come up on Wednesday," she tells him. She waits a beat, taking his silence as a silent query. "It's all jumbled, but we're on the section of the end of the Netherrealm war. All the flashbacks just take over my mind and I barely came out the room unscathed. I wanted to break something in half.

"And the kids called me 'the best step mom ever' because they know nothing of Cassie's mom. The mom who wasn't there for her daughter growing up. The mom who failed her damn kid. Why Johnny?"

"Oh babe," he starts, "you didn't fail Cassie."

"Yes I did," she argues. "Name one other thing I did for her besides this past weekend, because I'm feeling like shit right now."

"The blood code," he answers.

"You mean _after_ I even got her in that situation in the first place?"

"The warehouse?"

"That wouldn't have happened if that bastard didn't have a vendetta against me."

"Sonya… you can't blame yourself for everything."

"Can and will," she gripes, folding her arms petulantly. "You said it yourself; I never had time for you and her. Maybe if I did, none of these things would've happened."

Johnny closes his eyes and looks away guiltily. "I'm sorry I said that. I was hurt."

"The truth hurts though," she laments. She wipes at her eyes again, trying to keep it together. She soothed by his fingers running through her hair so she appreciates the action. "Pizza?" she asks as she remembers his first question to her.

He smirks. "Margherita."

"Fuck you; I want pepperoni."

"You can't always be in charge, babe," he reminds her.

"You can top tonight?" she bargains with a naughty smile.

He outright laughs at her bartering. "Deal," he agrees as he leans over to grab the house phone from its base to place their order. He watches as she clicks her feet together some more. "Yeah, can I get a half and half large pizza pie? Mmm hmm, Margherita and pepperoni—"

"And green peppers," she adds.

"And green peppers on both sides," he laughs. She nods in approval and he presses a kiss to her forehead.

* * *

 **A/N:** A few things to note: since they were in a French restaurant, Yuri and Cassie's orders are foreign.

 _Francois Crochet, Sancerre_ : Sauvignon Blanc (a type of white wine)

 _Cassoulet de Toulouse_ : a pork and lamb casserole with white beans (what Cassie orders for herself)

 _Bouillabaisse_ : a fish stew with mussels, clams, fennel, potato, leek, and rouille (what Cassie orders for Yuri).

Anyways, review as always.


	14. Damage Control

**Disclaimer:** Don't own it.

 **Author's Note:** Since I started this new job, I don't know when I'll be able to update. Plus I feel bad about taking so long with chapter 13, so here's the new chapter now. Enjoy while you can.

* * *

Being back on base was trying for Cassie the first few days. She either had lower rank soldiers eyeing her with contempt or higher rank officers giving her pity looks. She also suspected that Blake was giving her an easy handout by telling her and Jacqui to oversee a training session with newly enlisted privates rather than send her team back to Outworld.

On Wednesday, after having to sit in on a meeting on new tactical approaches on how to recapture D'vorah, Cassie storms into the S-F training gym angrily, Jacqui following closely behind. Jacqui cringes visibly when Cassie throws a right jab at a practice dummy, causing it to swing to and fro frantically. "I swear to God, the next person who looks at me in that pitiful way is getting a nutcracker." Her angry declaration is followed by left and right hook, a spinning snap kick and a shadow kick which breaks the dummy in half.

"What the—" Jacqui starts as she sees a fellow soldier ducking away from the flying piece of plastic.

Turning to her best friend, Cassie states, "It was a piece of shit anyways. No sweat."

Jacqui seems to think otherwise. "That's the fourth one they've had to install, Cass," she tells her friend carefully.

"Well," Cassie snorts, "Blake and everyone else is gonna have to install new _balls_ if they don't stop fucking with me."

At a loss for words, Jacqui turns away from her indifferently. Wanting to change the subject, Jacqui asks, "I never got to ask you about your date on Saturday. How'd it go?" Cassie stops slapping at the new punching bag and smiles slowly. Though her back is turned, Jacqui starts giggling at Cassie's possible reaction. "That well, huh?"

"Maybe," Cassie eludes suspiciously.

Jacqui smirks. "Uh, huh. So you guys are official, huh?" Cassie turns to her and Jacqui catches the flash of uncertainty in her eyes. "Wait… he didn't ask?"

"I… I don't know… I… shit, I don't know," Cassie responds. She plops down on the floor and runs her fingers through her hair. "I never asked him. And I don't know when I'll see him again since I'm here and shit."

Jacqui crawls over and sits next to her. "If you think it's because he doesn't like you or anything, I promise that's not the case," Jacqui tells her with a pat on the shoulder. "Maybe he was swept up by the date itself that he didn't think to ask."

Cassie sighs. "I know," she responds. She takes out her phone and checks her messages and notifications, something she hasn't done in a while. She furrows her eyebrows at a message Yuri sent her. "All right, ninja guy, what are you doing?"

"Lemme see?" Cassie shows Jacqui the message on her phone. "Ooh, a question."

 **CassieCage:** Yeah? Sorry, just got to check my phone.

His response comes quickly and Cassie rolls her eyes. She then goes to check her notifications again and sees that one of them involves a relationship change. Cassie bites her lip, fighting a blush off her face. "Real smooth, Yuri-Nato," she laughs.

"Oh gosh, that's super cute," Jacqui remarks as she pinches Cassie's cheeks. Cassie playfully slaps her hand away. "Definitely related to Taquito for sure."

"Idiot sandwich fool," she sighs affectionately. Jacqui raises an eyebrow at her and she promptly explodes into laughter, causing a small group of soldiers to look at them weirdly. "Okay, basically, you know I call people an idiot sandwich. He calls people idiot fools."

"Redundancy at its finest," Jacqui teases.

"Shut up, it's cute. Anyways, we just decided to put it together and so now we'll both call people idiot sandwich fools."

Jacqui shakes her head as Cassie laughs again. "Y'all are dorks." Cassie shrugs as if to agree. "But super cute dorks. You guys are good together."

"Thanks girlfriend," Cassie says, giving her best friend a hug.

"Of course. And we need to double dip again."

"Oh Jesus," Cassie mutters with a smile.

* * *

For the second time that week, Sonya finds herself clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. She rubs at her face with her hands as the professor continues his lecture. "So basically, when Raiden the thunder god chose his champions, he did so with the intent of them living up to their full potential."

"How _did_ he even manage to pick them?" Nicole asks. "Other than the Shaolin, I would assume they had no idea about higher deities existing. Or unbelieving of such."

"Excellent question," he responds. Professor Valdez sits on his desk, a sign the class knows as him going from lecture to story mode. "Because Raiden had godly powers; he was able to watch over people. Anyone seeking extreme redemption or fame was observed carefully by Raiden until it came time for the tournament."

 _Well, that's a comforting thought_ , Sonya thinks to herself bitterly. "But also some of the defenders he'd chosen were there by complete and utter accident," Professor Valdez continues. Sonya's eyes go wide in shock. "For example, the leader of a famous mercenary 'faction', so to speak—"

"Kano," Sonya inadvertently growls. The class turns to her and the professor raises an alarmed eyebrow. "Sorry, continue."

"No, no, you're correct. His name was Kano. Yeah, though born here in Earthrealm, he switched alliances to Outworld in order to seek asylum from Special Forces," he tells the class. Sonya swallows uneasily. "Two major players in this particular branch of the army have been hunting him and the faction down _years_ before the tournament began."

"Wait, wait," Andrew interrupts the professor with as he waves his pen in the air, "What were their names?"

Sonya rubs her forehead as the professor answers his question with, "I only know their names as Major Briggs and Lieutenant Blade. You know military decorum and such."

"Fine," Andrew begrudgingly accepts.

As Professor Valdez opens his mouth to continue his story, another student blurts, "I think I've got a question."

"Shoot."

The student turns to Sonya and asks, "Any relation to you, Sonya?" Immediately, the entire class focuses their eyes on her.

Sonya narrows her eyes at the unwarranted attention. "Ex _cuse_ me?"

"Sorry," the girl apologizes. "I mean, is there any relation between you and Lieutenant Blade?"

Sonya closes her eyes and counts to ten, practicing her tactical breathing. "Why do you ask?" she wonders after a moment.

"Uh," Professor Valdez stresses as he scratches his neck.

"No, I mean because Blade isn't really a common last name, that's why I asked," the girl explains.

"Imagine if she was though?" another student blurts out.

The class begins to talk over each other as Roxanne, Nicole, and Andrew are at a complete stand still, unsure of what to do or say. Finally, after the chatter reaches its crescendo, Andrew finally shouts, "Everybody, shut up!" The class instantly quiets down. "Let the man finish his lesson and leave Sonya alone. Whether she's related to anyone or not is not entirely your damn concern, so shut the fuck up."

Professor Valdez lightly bangs the top of his fist to his head. "Thank you," he tells Andrew wearily. "As I was saying before, Major Briggs and Lieutenant Blade chased Kano down to the island where the tournament was being held. Does anyone know where it was?"

The class is silent for a long time. Finally, "Probably should ask Sonya," a male student jeers as a few of his friends laugh.

"All right," Sonya starts, turning to address the asshole student, "listen here, you little shit eating dumb ass. I'm gonna say this once and once only: don't speak to me in that manner and don't assume to know what me or my family have been through. You don't know me or my struggles and you certainly don't know shit about the Mortal Kombat tournament. So either shut your ignorant mouth or I'll go over there and shut it for you."

The class jeers at the student's gob smacked face. "Are you actually _threatening_ me?!" he asks in disbelief.

Sonya stands up, packing her items on her desk and hastily shoving them in her bag. "Kid, I've been in the military longer than you've even been _considered_ a thought. So I'm not _threatening_ you; I'm simply making a promise. And I don't often make promises I can't keep." With that, she leaves the classroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

* * *

Johnny finds himself at his favorite pizzeria eating two sausage slices of pizza. While he's drinking from his soda, a familiar woman comes up to him and greets him with, "Old Johnny boy."

He stops sipping his soda as his heart pounds in his chest. Only one woman called him by that name. Turning around slowly, he faces his ex-wife Cindy for the second time in a month. "Cindy," he deadpans, straw sticking out of his mouth.

"Fancy seeing you here," she tells him as she slides into his booth uninvited. "How have you been since I seen you last?"

"You mean since a couple of weeks ago?" he questions with a frown. She nods. "Fine, I guess."

"Good, good," she responds as she flags down a waitress to their table. "Let me get a triple supreme slice, no olives but extra anchovies." The girl nods and walks away quietly.

Johnny grimaces. "You still like those little bastards?" he wonders, referring to anchovies.

"Can't get enough of them," she laughs. "So…"

"What do you want, Cindy? It's no longer a coincidence that I've seen you twice in a month," he finally snaps right when she's about to explain herself.

She furrows her eyebrows at him. "Why do I have to _want_ somethin' from ya?" Johnny's frown grows deeper at her guilty look.

"Fine. What do you _not_ want from me?" he amends his previous statement.

She sighs. "I've been thinking—"

"Oh, goody," he groans.

"C'mon Johnny boy, hear me out, all right? I've been thinking about us lately. You know... what our lives would've been like if we stayed together and such. I know I don't have any right asking you this, but I'm curious; would our lives be different?"

"You mean, if you'd gotten the help I told you we _both_ needed?" he demands darkly, narrowing his blue eyes at her. She shrugs. "Probably."

Cindy's face brightens up significantly. "Yeah?" She smiles at the waitress who brought over her slice and a glass of lemonade ice tea. She takes a sip from her drink. "How so?" she probes curiously.

"You ever seen that show with the washed up stars who were in a relationship but trying to work on their own addictions?" he counters, leaning forward.

"Lord, I have. That train wreck of a show?" She laughs loudly, covering her mouth with her hand. "Yes, I know what you're talking about."

"Yeah," Johnny snorts, " _that_ could've been us if things were different."

Her mirth immediately disappears from face. "All right, I probably deserved that one," she laments. She tears a piece of her crust off and pops it into her mouth. "Well, I think we could've worked out."

"Sorry, but I don't share your sentiments," he brutally tells her.

"You know, my son looks up to ya," she mutters after a long while. He lifts an eyebrow at her. "He does. He's been asking me all these damn questions about my previous marriage to you, and I can't even give him the answers he wants. I promised I'd get it from the horse's mouth."

Johnny rolls his eyes to the ceiling in exasperation. "If I recall, _you_ divorced _me_."

"And _you_ cut _me_ off, burying yourself in your job. Then you'd gone off and almost gotten killed. And next thing I knew before I even got a chance to blink, you were married again."

"Three years is a blink?!" he proclaims angrily. "Oh, I didn't realize," he drawls, sarcasm oozing from his mouth bitterly.

She had a point though; after his humiliating public split from her, he'd gone out and started doing more films, shifting his focus from boyhood heartthrob to action man. Unfortunately, his quest to reinvent himself just about backfired in his face; people began calling him a fraud, saying he used special effects. As a result, he entered the Mortal Kombat tournament in a bid to prove himself. And that's where he'd met Sonya whom he, in an ironic twist of fate, divorced, causing Sonya to bury herself even more in her job.

Cindy angrily rips another piece of pizza and bites into it. "It seemed like it."

"How old is your son?" he asks her as he finishes his soda.

"My little guy is the same age as your little girl," she answers him softly.

"He's hardly a little boy then, huh?" he bites.

She sighs. "I know," she replies. She clears her that awkwardly. "He's still my little guy, just like yours is your little princess I bet."

"True," he reluctantly agrees. Having enough of the back and forth, Johnny flags down his waiter, wanting to pay for his food. "I need to get home…"

"Don't worry, Johnny boy. I gotcha covered," she tells him as he's fussing with his wallet. "I understand. Tell your wife I said howdy."

"Mmm hmm," he answers, still managing to drop a twenty dollar bill on the table.

* * *

Despite her best efforts, Sonya's unable to regulate her breathing. Standing over the bathroom sink at her school, she splashes water on her face repeatedly, almost compulsively. She looks at herself in the mirror; her bloodshot eyes and blotchy face greets her back. Her lips quiver as images of her life flashes through her mind. The tournament, Shao Kahn's defeat, her friends dying at his hands, chasing after Kano; even bits and pieces of her life with her ex fiancé creeps its way into her memories.

She skips the last of her classes and drives around Venice and Redondo Beach aimlessly, trying desperately to clear her mind. She finally finds a spot by the marina and sits on the jetty. She closes her eyes with a morose smile as she recalls another memory, not quite as painful as the others.

 _On the eve of their wedding, Johnny and Sonya sat on the jetty as they watched multiple sailboats and jet skis go by. The sun was setting and the natural dusk highlights the hazy blue of his eyes. She's staring at them from the side, unaware or uncaring of Johnny's eyes following hers. After a few moments of silence, Johnny asked, "You sure you wanna go through with this?"_

 _She sighed. "No, I'm not sure, but we're still doing this, aren't we?"_

 _He turned his head to look at her intently. "Sonya," he started, "we really don't have to do this, you know. Marriage is a scary thing."_

 _She scoffed. "You're telling me this as if you speak from experience," she quipped with a laugh. He gave her a withered stare. "Wait, hang on. You've been married before?" He scratched the back of his neck guiltily. "Oh, Jesus. Poor woman."_

 _He frowned at her. "That's actually not nice, Sonya," he drawled warily. She looked down, ashamed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to snap at you."_

" _It's fine," she told him, "it was insensitive of me. But we_ _ **do**_ _have to do this; it's the right thing to do."_

 _He turned his attention to her bulging stomach. He gave it a tiny pat before stating, "It's not entirely necessary; I would've still helped out with the baby regardless of our marital status." He gently rubbed her shoulder before continuing, "Besides, I've already told you but I'll tell you again: we're stuck with each other now."_

 _She sighed again. "Maybe, deep in the back of my head, I_ _ **want**_ _to get married. I've been cheated out of it once; I refuse to have the opportunity taken away from me again," she responds defiantly._

 _He nodded. "Okay, I guess we're doing this." A beat of silence passed between them as she took a deep breath. "By the way, do you know what we're having yet or no?"_

" _Yeah. I found out at my last appointment," she informed him. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I'll tell you when the time is right." He groaned at her answer. "Hey, c'mon Cage, I'm letting you have everything else. The baby is getting both of your last names regardless of gender. Let me have a few more things to myself before we have to share."_

" _The least you can do is call me 'Johnny', Sunny baby," he joked. She whipped her head towards him sharply, one of her pinned curls unraveling. "What?"_

 _Sonya shook her head at him. "Why?" she wondered in reference to the new nickname._

" _Because," Johnny began explaining, twirling the loose stand of hair between his fingers to recreate her pinned curl, "your hair is like a golden ray of sunshine, even with the sunset."_

 _She rolled her eyes but laughed at his explanation. "All right. Then I'll call you Bluesy because your eyes remind me of the ocean on a beautiful day, calm and clear."_

 _He joined her laughter as he carefully fixed the pins in her hair. "Deal, baby." He leaned over slightly and gave her a sweet peck on the cheek._

Sonya sits for a while longer, carefully wrapping her arms around her knees and caressing her braid. If Johnny was sitting next to her, he would've used her braid as a means to tickle her ear. She laughs at the thought as a few more tears trickle down her cheek.

* * *

Later that night, Cassie and Jacqui are lying in bed, preparing themselves for lights out when the door to their room creaks open. Cassie's pillow is on top of her head so she hears nothing. Jacqui cracks an eye open. "Get out," she mutters to the stranger drowsily.

"You were the one who said I was allowed—" he starts before Jacqui throws a pillow at him. Yuri ducks, missing the object by a hair. "That is unbecoming," he whispers.

"You're going to wake her," she berates him. She points to the top bunk. "Go."

Rolling his eyes, Yuri jumps on the top bunk and sits by Cassie's legs gently. She immediately removes her pillow and is about to scream when Yuri places two gentle fingers on her lips. "Please do not scream," he whispers. Her eyes go wide in shock before realization hits. "I did not mean to frighten you," he apologizes as she narrows her eyes at him. "Okay, on my count of three, I will remove my fingers." She rolls her eyes in response. "Fine," he grumbles and removes his digits from her lips. "Better?"

"How'd you get in?" she immediately demands in a hushed voice.

"Do not concern…" he starts to tell her before she growls at him. "I had assistance. I thought you would be happy to see your beloved boyfriend," he teases lightly with a laugh.

"Gross. I'm leaving," Jacqui declares with a disgusted scoff and she shuffles out of their shared room.

Cassie smothers her giggles with her hand. "Oops," she laughs. After a second, she adds, "I'm actually not that sorry."

"This I know," Yuri tells her. He lies down next to her, his breath tickling her ear. "I did not know when I would see you again, so I thought I should visit."

"Aww, risking federal prison for me. I dunno whether to hit you or kiss you for that," she responds.

"I have risked worse," he tells her as he kisses her cheek. Her eyes widened again. "Shall I tell you the story?"

"Um, yes," she answers him.

He chuckles. "Well, on my lonely trek to Japan, I hit a bump, so to speak."

"What kind of bump?" she inquires, turning to face him so she can better hear his story.

He blinks at her. "The kind of bump where you lose your map and walk around in circles with a broken GPS. I was meant to go north. Instead, I went east and landed myself in Vietnam."

"Babe, _dude_ , you mean in those dangerous valleys?" Her eyes are threatening to pop out of their sockets due to her shock. He laughs but nods. "Dude! You could've _died_!"

"I am fully aware of this," he tells her, ashamed. "But I did not so there," he argues as he sticks his tongue out at her.

Cassie scoffs. "Don't stick your tongue out at me unless you're planning to use it," she scolds Yuri. As a direct result, he licks her face from her jawbone to her temple. She squeals and slaps him on the chest. "You're such a freak!" she laughs as she uses his sweater to wipe his saliva off.

"You asked for it," he reminds her with another kiss to her cheek. She blushes happily at the gesture. "As I was saying, I managed to find my way out of those valleys and into Hong Kong."

"Jesus, lucky breaks," she marvels proudly.

"An even luckier break: I somehow found my way into the Lin Kuei temple," he continues. She gapes at him. "Mmm hmm."

"I'm surprised Sub-Zero helped… you know, if this is where this story is going," she admits.

"So was I at the time. But it seems as though they had buried their hatchet long before I arrived, so there's that matter to consider," he finishes. Cassie shifts her body so she's able to give Yuri a huge hug. "What for?"

"For being so brave," she answers. She smirks. "So, since you seem to like danger so much, you ever been bungee jumping?"

He chuckles. "I have actually," he tells her. She groans. "Why do you ask?"

She slaps a hand on her forehead. "Because, I wanted to take you. Break your 'bungee virginity' so to speak. Fuck it, we're still going," she finalizes.

"I would like nothing more," he responds as he tilts her head to his and presses a kiss to her lips. She turns her head and deepens the kiss, throwing a leg over his. He pulls away and hitches an eyebrow. "I am allowing you to control this," he reminds her gently.

"Aww," she coos as she brings him closer, "you're such a sweetheart."

"Only for you, babe," he replies, capturing her lips with his once more.

* * *

Once she gets home, Sonya kicks off her shoes and is in the process of hanging up her jacket when she hears keys jiggling. Johnny swings the door open, accidentally hitting Sonya on the shoulder, not realizing she'd just entered their home herself. "Ouch, Johnny," she snaps, still in a bad mood from her class earlier. Instead of apologizing, Johnny grabs her by the waist and presses her to his body. He begins kissing her frantically, snaking his hands under her shirt. She matches his fervor unquestionably, caressing his face and running her fingers through his hair. She gives it a sharp tug and he grabs her thighs to lift her legs onto his waist. Their lips still entwined, he walks her over to the couch and sets her down, falling on top of her gently. "John," she whispers.

"I just need you, Sunny," he answers. They start shedding their clothes and touching each other as each bit of skin becomes exposed to the other.

When the task at hand is done, Johnny kisses down Sonya's body, grabbing at and pinching her nipples and breasts as she groans. He gets to her center and begins sucking on her clit, making her moan his name wantonly. "Fuck, Johnny," she whines as he continues his ministrations, showing no signs of stopping. In fact, when he hears her moaning his name repeatedly, his tongue strokes her faster and harder. Before she's able to stop it, her orgasms are met with a loud moan. "Johnny," she whimpers again.

"I'm not done with you yet, babe," he tells her. He presses his tongue to her clit again, drawing it slowly up and down and loving the way her body responds to him. He nips at her and she tugs his hair harshly. "Okay, you'll pay for that," he teases her before slipping two fingers inside of her and flicking his tongue back and forth on her overly stimulated nub. She covers her face with a pillow as her body continues to quiver with each stroke. Still pumping his fingers, he crawls back up to her and whispers in her ear, "I need to hear you, babe." She shakes her head at him through the pillow. "All right," he answers, replacing his fingers with his now throbbing member and ripping the cushion from her face.

"Oh fuck Johnny!" she cries into the air as she holds on to him. She scrapes her fingernails over his back as he nibbles every inch of her face. Their lovemaking is rough and needy, reminding each other of the way they sought comfort in one another's arms.

And when they finish at the same time, she bursts into tears, weeping quietly in his arms as he embraces her closely in his grasp. They sit in silence for a long time, hearing the occasional hoot of an owl. Once she's reduced to shuddering hiccups, she asks, "I had to relive the tournament again in my class. What about you?"

"My ex-wife told me she regrets divorcing me," he responds. He swallows uneasily.

"That would make my day a nightmare, too," she sympathizes with him as she nuzzles his neck. "Why, Johnny?"

"I don't know, babe," he laments.

"It's not fair Johnny, I don't deserve this," she complains. "We don't deserve to feel this way about the past."

"We have to find a way to make peace with it."

"I know," she sighs. "How can we though, when everything we've ever done up to this moment bites us in the ass?" He shakes his head, unable to say anything else. She snuggles closer to him and he adjusts their blankets. Soon, the soft sounds of the ocean nearby lulls the pair to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** Please review as always. Your thoughts are always appreciated.


	15. Change of Luck

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything recognizable. Only the plot and a couple of OCs are mine. Thanks.

 **Author's Note:** I couldn't resist; I have one more chapter with Cassie and Yuri before he goes away for a little while. Plus, things are gonna get heated between Johnny and Sonya in the next couple of chapters. Regardless, enjoy as per usual.

* * *

Cassie comes back home on Friday after her therapy session. Talking to Dr. Marsden has eased most of the anxiety she ended up building because of her new found relationship with Yuri. In return, it allowed her to be slightly more open with him and Jacqui.

She sighs contently and flops on the couch in the living room, lying down with her shoes on. Sonya comes from the room and notices Cassie's feet first. "Cass?" she calls softly, just in case she was sleeping.

"Mom," she replies.

"You're back already?"

"Mmm hmm. Today's Friday," she reminds her mother.

"Right," she notes with a head shake just as someone knocks on the door. Scoffing, Sonya drops her basket of forgotten laundry and opens the door to see Yuri standing in front of her holding a snow white Maltese with short hair and droopy ears. The brown eyed puppy blinks at Sonya, calmly waiting for her to make a move. "Oh my goodness!" she reverts to a baby cooing voice. She holds out her arms and he passes her the tiny animal as she caresses its face, running her nose against the cold and wet black nose of the dog. "You are so cute!"

"Mom, don't try to adopt a kid," Cassie jokes with her mother, her eyes closed with a smile on her face. Tilting her head, Sonya gestures Yuri inside of the house and walks to the couch. Without another word, she places the puppy on Cassie's lap gently and it immediately crawls up her body to lick her face. Cracking an eye open, she gasps at the intrusion. "Oh my God, you are so cute!" she squeals happily. She sits up and scratches behind the puppy's ears.

"I figured it would cheer you up," Yuri tells her as he sits next to her on the couch, putting her legs across his lap. "How was your session?"

"'Kay, I'm gonna go do my… yeah," Sonya awkwardly trails off with as she picks up her basket and heads to the basement.

Barely hearing Sonya, Cassie shrugs. "It was okay," she tells him as the puppy bites at her hands. She picks the puppy up and does a quick check on its bottom. "You're such a cute girl, aren't ya? Fiesta too; I like you." The Maltese gives a tiny bark, causing Cassie to giggle. "You're just full of surprises, huh?"

Yuri shrugs. "Possibly. But be careful Cassandra, this pup is on a loan."

"Oh?" she questions, looking at him. The puppy turns her head to stare and blink at Yuri as well, something Cassie laughs at.

Yuri chuckles and rubs the puppy's stomach. "Yeah, I did this thing where I have asked to 'borrow' the dog for a test run," he explains.

"Ahh, like you're interested in adopting but you have to see how you two work together." She nods, understanding the process. "I've done that before. Does she have a name?"

Yuri frowns thoughtfully. "No…" he answers, unsure of himself.

Cassie observes the puppy trying to bury herself in the cushion between the two of them. "How about I call you… Lucky," she teases the dog. The dog looks up and sticks out her tongue at Cassie, panting happily. "Yeah, you're cool with that, Lucky?" Cassie laughs as Lucky turns her attention to Yuri. She lightly licks his hand and rests her head on his thigh. "Ugh, she _so_ cute!" she squeals again.

"Not as cute as you," he teases.

Cassie smiles. "You're such a suck up," she responds to him. Nevertheless, she does her best to lean over and give him a loud smooch on the cheek, which he blushes at. "I want this puppy," she informs him.

"Yeah?" he asks. She nods. "Well, that can definitely be arranged. Only, you will have to come with me to the shop."

"Ugh, duh!" she chirps. Lucky lets out a tiny howl of approval and the two of them laugh. "Um… how are we gonna split custody?"

Yuri raises an eyebrow. "Well, how would you _like_ to?"

Lucky turns to Cassie, blinking at her. "Tricky, because pets aren't really allowed at the base." She sighs. "Eh, we'll make it work," she tells him. "Right, Lucky girl?" Cassie coos with a baby voice. "We're gonna make it work because you're so cute and fluffy and adorable!" Lucky gives Cassie a tiny growl. "All right," she concedes playfully, "you're just like him, feisty and refuse to be called cute even though you are." To further annoy Yuri, she pinches his cheeks and makes kissing noises at him. He rolls his eyes, but a tint of red appears on his cheeks. "Aww, you both are so cute!"

"Cassandra," he warns playfully.

She rolls her eyes. "Face it, you're adorable. Just accept it."

"Fine," he mutters just as Johnny makes his way downstairs. "Afternoon, Mr. Cage," he greets politely.

"Sup ninja dude," Johnny jokes. Cassie rolls her eyes again. "Princess, have you seen your mother?"

"She's in the basement," she answers. "Oh, Dad, Yuri and I are gonna adopt a puppy!"

Johnny smirks. "Well, at least it ain't a kid yet. Your mother would have a coronary."

Yuri's eyes go wide as Cassie gapes. " _Dad_!" she whines as Johnny laughs. Picking up the dog, Cassie shakes her head. "Yeah, we're gonna go do that now. Mom's doing her laundry if you're wondering."

He nods. "Okay. See you Punkin and ninja dude."

Cassie and Yuri share an amused look as Lucky barks once. "Bye," they bid in unison before leaving.

* * *

In the laundry room in the basement, Sonya begins separating her clothes by color and material, a compulsory habit she's had since she was a kid. As she's dumping her first two loads in the double washer/dryer set, a hand squeezes her waist. Her elbow jerks back to hit the person who catches the joint before it can do serious damage. "Cage," she admonishes.

"Hey baby," Johnny drawls in her ear seductively, pressing a kiss to her left shoulder. She lets out a soft, shuddering breath. "Wanna stay in bed today? I don't need to go on set today," he informs her with another kiss to her neck.

"John, I've been home for months now and I don't have anything to wear… I have to do my laundry," she tells him. In actuality, she wanted to catch up on rest because she hadn't even slept properly in almost a week. When she _did_ attempt sleep, she was jolted awake by either Johnny accidentally poking at or pushing her, or by the start of a new nightmare. Just when she'd gotten her eyes to close again last night, Johnny woke up with a start, sending a shadow kick at her back and effectively kicking her off the bed.

"So _that's_ where my sweats went," he teases as his hands creep up her midriff. She rolls her eyes when his hands push up her tank top and come to a rest by her bra. With another squeeze, Johnny presses her flush against him. "Don't worry, I forgive you."

"As if I was asking," she scoffs, gently prying his fingers off her body. Sonya turns on the washing machine and leans over to grab the detergent off the shelf she helped him build once upon a time. She busies herself with the task of measuring and pouring the soap into the machine, something she's glad Johnny left her alone to do.

When she's reaching over again to replace the soap however, he swoops in again, nipping at her ear. "That's fine," he tells her. "But you'll need to pay for that. Those are my favorite sweat pants."

Sonya sighs. "Now who's the insatiable nymphomaniac?" she wonders in amusement, recalling their conversation from a couple weeks back. She shakes her head at him and he turns her around. He kisses her passionately and she wraps her hands around his neck.

"Still you," he argues through her lips.

"John," she breathes. "What if Cass—"

"She won't," he answers her unfinished question, securing his hands behind her legs and lifting her onto the machine.

She pulls away, placing her hands on his chest. "If I remember correctly, this is _exactly_ how we had to give her 'the talk'," she reminds him.

Johnny groans. "Babe," he moans, peppering kisses on her face. "Don't ya think she's old enough to understand?"

"Why are you reciting our conversation from that night?" Sonya demands.

"Aww, and here I thought you forgot," he taunts her. He sucks on a spot on her neck, making her whimper helplessly. "Plus, you missed this," he reminds her, grabbing the back of her braid and tugging down softly to expose more of her neck to him.

"Shit," she shudders as the machine jerks around. "Johnny," she whines. He begins unhooking her bra as she rests her head on his shoulder. With a deep sigh, she closes her eyes and falls asleep almost instantly.

He's still caressing her skin until he realizes how still she is. "Sonya?" he nudges. He leans back slightly to hear her lightly snoring in his ear. "Unreal," he chuckles. He clips the hooks back on her bra and lifts her, draping her over his shoulder. He carefully carries her out of the laundry room and up the stairs to their bedroom. He gently places her on the bed and pulls their comforters over her body.

* * *

After their affairs with the adoption, Cassie and Yuri end up having an impromptu picnic. Lucky is napping in her new carrier as Cassie spreads her favorite picnic quilt on the grass. Immediately after she finishes, Yuri lies down on his stomach, staring at the cage sideways. "Did you unpack the food?" she questions.

"My desire to rest is growing," he responds cheekily as he blinks a few times.

She puts her hands on her hips. "My desire to kick your ass is growing, too," she teases. Despite this, she stretches out next to him on her back. She looks at the carrier adoringly. As if sensing both of her new owners eyeing her, Lucky lifts her head and pants happily. "Ugh, you're still the cutest little thing ever," she brags.

He rolls over, pulling the basket of randomly packed snacks over to the both of them. "Let us see what's in here," he mutters to himself. The puppy sticks her paw out of the carrier, making Cassie giggle. "You shall wait your turn, muffin," he tells the small animal as he undoes the latch on the carrier.

"Aww, fluffy butt gets a cute nickname from you, but I don't?" she pouts. Cassie sits up and observes Lucky tentatively exploring her new surroundings.

Yuri slaps a hand on his forehead with a laugh as Lucky is swiping her paws at a design on the quilt. "Of course you shall get a nickname from me, my love," he answers with a wink. Cassie frowns before realizing what he just said. "Let me guess, I'm still smooth?"

She giggles lightly. "I'm starting to rub off on you, aren't I? I don't know if I should be ecstatic or frightened."

"You should be both. I can be quite scary," he cautions her in jest.

She smirks. "Yeah, you're as scary as a cinnamon roll," she quips sarcastically. She cackles at his incensed face. He begins to tickle her underarms and she laughs, stubbornly sputtering, "You're still a cute cinnamon… r-roll!" Combined with Lucky licking at her face, Cassie's laughter becomes so uncontrollable she lets out a snort, rendering Yuri speechless. She clears her throat awkwardly as he stares at her. "If you tell anyone…" she threatens him.

"I'll tell everyone we know how cute your snort is," he teases.

"No! They are _not_ cute!" she cries, Lucky wailing with her. "Yeah, tell him I'm not cute!" she coaches the puppy.

Lucky turns to Yuri. "Well, tell _her_ I am not a cinnamon roll," he goads the puppy, making her turn to Cassie. They look up at each other as Lucky barks softly, wagging her tail cheerfully. "Such an adorable little—" he starts to tease Cassie again.

"Why, I oughta," Cassie starts as she tackles him.

They roll around until they both hit their heads on the metal carrier. "Ow!" they mutter in unison before catching each other's gaze again. The two of them chuckle as Lucky starts biting at Yuri's hands. Pulling Cassie closer, he places his head on her shoulder and she sighs contently.

* * *

Johnny is folding the last of Sonya's clothes when he feels her petite hands circle his torso. "Thanks honey," she tells him gratefully.

"No problem babe," he responds. He chuckles. "I can't believe you fell asleep on me. On the washing machine of all places."

"Shut up, you," she snickers. She presses her cheek to his back and sighs. "I didn't get much sleep."

"I know. Any reason why? I mean, besides me kicking you off the bed. Sorry about that."

She seriously contemplates her answer. She didn't want to lie to him again. "I've been fighting off nightmares," she finally admits.

He bites his lip. "Are they the same each time?" he asks her softly. He feels her shaking her head behind him. He turns around to face her. Staring into her green-blue eyes, he announces in a serious tone, "I think you should see someone."

She frowns at him. "What?"

"I think—"

"I heard you. I just… no. No, I'm fine. It'll pass; they always do," she responds.

Knowing her reaction would be this volatile, Johnny rubs at his eyes. "Then what if they come back?" he wonders in reference to her nightmares.

"They won't," Sonya insists defiantly. She folds her arms in a way that suggests their conversation is over.

He hangs his head low and huffs. "Okay. I'm only looking out for you, babe," he tells her honestly.

She wraps her arms around him in an embrace. "I know," she responds. She tilts her head and pecks him on the lips. "Thanks honey. But I'll be fine, I promise. I'll come to you if anything changes."

"Promise?" he asks her. For added measure, he sticks out his pinky. "Can't break a pinky promise, babe."

"Have I ever?" she laughs, linking her pinky with his. She leans in and gives him another kiss, one he returns. She turns to her basket of clothing and unfolds what she calls her favorite pair of spandex jeans. "Oh yes, come to mama!" She drops her (Johnny's) sweatpants and wiggles her way into her jeans as Johnny watches in amusement. "Stop staring, Cage."

"I'm not, I'm not," he lies. "Though the view is amazing," he adds cheekily. She narrows her eyes at him before grabbing her hoodie. "Hey, hey," he says, grabbing her arm softly. "Where are you going, babe?"

"I wanted to meditate," she replies. He lifts a questioning eyebrow at her. "I won't be long, darling. I just need to be alone for the time being."

He sighs resignedly. "All right, honey; be safe."

"I will." With a kiss to his cheek, she skips up the stairs.

After a minute of hesitation, he retorts, "You're welcome!" Shaking his head, he picks up the basket of clothing and heads upstairs.

* * *

"Why do we need to do this again?" Jacqui asks Cassie as they're both stretching on separate yoga mats early Monday morning. Jacqui frowns as she tries to copy her best friend's position; Cassie is in a low sprint with her right leg outstretched and her left leg bent in front of her body, knee vertically parallel to her left elbow. She bends low as she extends her knee further. Jacqui tries this and lets out a tiny cry of pain, opting not to bend like Cassie. "Fuck, this is painful."

Cassie does a cleansing breath. When she's done breathing out, she states, "This is exactly _why_ we need to do this. You gotta keep your elasticity up, Briggs."

Having enough of her legs and hips hurting, Jacqui places her left leg together with her right leg, reverting back to their original downward dog position, Cassie following suit. "My elasticity is fine, thank you very much Sergeant Flexy," Jacqui grouses, taking a deep breath and hanging her neck so her chin is touching her clavicle.

"Sergeant Flexy… cute nickname, Corporal Unbendable," Cassie teases deadpan. From her downward dog, Cassie lifts her right leg and bends it before getting into a low sprint with her right leg folded in front of her. She lifts both arms in the air and takes another cleansing breath. "How does 'Keeda deal with your lack of bendability?"

Jacqui openly gapes at Cassie. "Cass!" she gasps as she lifts her head. Cassie starts laughing, placing her hands on the ground as she works her way into a split. "Dude, what the fuck?!"

"I have to ask!" Cassie defends herself through giggles. Giving up, Jacqui decides to slide her legs down on either side, reaching over her right shoulder to touch her right foot with her hands. "Well?" Cassie asks, apparently still waiting for an answer.

"How does Yuri deal with _your_ excessively springy body?" Jacqui counters. Cassie turns her head to Jacqui, staring at her in disbelief until Jacqui realizes what she has suggested. "Oh shit, oh shit… fuck, I'm sorry. That was insensitive. I didn't mean to imply you guys are having… aww fuck dude…" Jacqui sputters helplessly.

Cassie swallows uncomfortably and gives a sad smile. "No need to apologize, girlfriend," she tells Jacqui honestly. "I walked right into that one, so I only have myself to blame."

Nonetheless, a few moments of awkward silence passes between the girls. Then: "To answer your question, Takeda deals with it just fine, thank you very much."

"Gross, gross, gross! I was _not_ expecting a response, bitch face!" Cassie whines. She folds her legs under her butt, sitting Indian style. "God, between you two and my parents… I'm gonna need a shit ton of brain bleach."

" _There's_ an image I don't want in my head," Jacqui mutters.

"Same," Cassie agrees with a shudder. After a couple more silent moments, Cassie speaks again, "I just want to do so many awfully amazing things to Yuri." Jacqui raises a curious eyebrow. "I mean that in the best way possible."

"I might regret this, but can you elaborate?"

"Like… just… ugh, I wanna have my dirty way with him, but I also wanna just have one day where we spend the whole day, I mean the _whole day_ cuddling up with each other. No interruptions, no contact with the outside world unless it's an emergency or something. But surprisingly…" Cassie trails off as she has an eternal epiphany. "I think I'll be okay if we don't… you know, have sex all the time. Well, not like we do at all because uh…"

Jacqui furrows her eyebrows at Cassie as she sits on her knees. "It's completely understandable that you two haven't yet. I think I might've killed you if you did already," she tells her best friend. Cassie sighs, running a hand through her hair. "You must really like him," Jacqui realizes.

Cassie nods. "Yeah, I do… like, it should be a crime how much I like him." Rolling her eyes, she continues, "He adopted a freaking puppy… for me. I mean, how many guys do we know does romantically cute shit like that for their girlfriends?"

"An entire puppy?" Jacqui wonders with her eyes as wide as saucers.

"Mmm hmm," Cassie answers. With that, she whips out her phone and scrolls through some pictures on her phone. "Her name's Lucky and she's literally the sweetest, adorable, most feisty little fluff ball ever. We have similar personalities, which is totally cool."

"Probably why he picked her out," Jacqui reasons as they both squeal over the puppy. "Oh, my God she is so freaking _cute_!"

"Isn't she?"

Jacqui sighs happily. "He must really like you a lot. I'm glad he turned out to be such a sweet guy because it could've gone over badly on the opposite side of the spectrum."

Cassie nods again in agreement. "You're totally right about that. And he just so happens to be related to Taquito." Snorting some laughter down, Cassie muses, "I called him a cute cinnamon roll."

Jacqui bursts into giggles. "Oh, that's rich. Taquito and Cinnamon Roll, oh my God, that's perfect." Jacqui pauses thoughtfully. "And, now I'm hungry."

"Me, too. Let's go get some grub," Cassie agrees as they grab onto each other's hands to help each other up from the floor.

* * *

 **A/N:** Review as per usual.


	16. Rebuilding Hope

**Disclaimer:** Any names or places you recognize from Mortal Kombat do not belong to me. Only a few OC's (including Lucky the Maltese) belong to me. Thanks.

 **Author's Note:** As we finish off the second arc of this story, Johnny and Sonya are at their wits end while Cassie seems to be getting better. Enjoy as per usual.

* * *

Monday afternoon during the lunch hour at McDougal's Pub and Grill, Sonya runs her fingers through her hair as her friends Andrew, Roxanne, Nicole, India, and Elmo are chatting with each other quite boisterously. She's fighting off the urge to snap at them because of her growing headache, but she knows it wouldn't end well with them. So she suffers in agonizing silence. However, they all stop talking and pick up on the sudden atmosphere change. "Sonya? Are you all right?" Elmo asks her politely.

"Mmm hmm," she hums as she's rubbing her temples.

Roxanne bites at her lips thoughtfully. "Is it because of Interrealm?"

Sonya closes her eyes, her head throbbing more at the memory of their recently finished class.

 _Half an hour ago_

"… _The two sole Earthrealm survivors—" Professor Valdez began reading from his book before he's interrupted with a squeal. He tilted his head to the ceiling, completely exasperated._

" _Ha! I knew it!" the disruptive girl from the previous class exclaimed. Roxanne growled in the general direction of the interruption. "Lieutenant Blade_ _ **is**_ _Sonya. Holy fuck, I fucking knew it."_

 _The class commenced talking over each other, occasionally sending Sonya admiring looks. "How are you still standing?" a random student questioned her._

 _Sonya sank further into her seat. "I shouldn't have come to class today," she muttered miserably._

" _Guys, shut up and let me finish," the Professor berated the students. They all quieted down upon seeing his angry face. "Okay, let me just make this crystal clear. This is a history class; you are not allowed to go off the rails and embarrass yourselves in front of people. If you wish to know more about certain personal aspects, you need to come to me because I cannot and will not allow you all to suck someone back into the events that are possibly traumatizing. Thank you."_

 _As Professor Valdez opened his mouth to continue his lecture, the male student blurted, "Be that as it may, but then Sonya shouldn't have signed up for the class if things are too 'traumatizing' for her."_

 _It takes Roxanne, Andrew, and Nicole to keep Sonya seated and preventing her from possibly murdering the student. Professor Valdez pointed to the door and growled, "Get out," to the male student. With an annoyed sneer, he left the room._

"I don't wish to talk about it right now," Sonya tells them, rubbing at her eyes.

Nicole nods understandingly. "It's okay. We understand."

"Yeah," Andrew agrees, "I don't know many people who've served before, but I know the feeling of trying to save people just to have them… perish in front of you is not something you easily deal with or talk about."

Elmo nods. "Yep, though it seems like your professor is more than understanding."

Sonya swallows. "Yeah, you guys are right," she tells them. Making a swift decision, she gets up and walks over to the bar, unsure of and uncaring if Moe the head bartender and owner recognizes her or not. "Let me get a double shot of whiskey," she tells him.

Seemingly acknowledging her but choosing not to draw attention to it, Moe nods and pours her a triple shot. "The extra shot's on me," he tells her politely.

"Thanks," she replies as she swigs her drink back in two swallows. She blinks a few times as the heat settles in her face. She makes her way back to their table and smiles at them wobbly. "I'll be _fine_ ," she tells her friends when they all gawk at her incredulously.

* * *

 _This is the worst day of my life_ , Johnny inwardly grouses as he's calmly nursing an actor's injury. He exhales sharply. "I'm sorry man," he tells Robin, his second lead actor, "but your arm is possibly broken. You gotta get to the doctors."

"But what about the movie?" he asks Johnny as he maneuvers around uneasily with his self-made tourniquet consisting of a wooden ruler and some heavy duty gauze.

"Your health and body are more important," Johnny replies with a hand massaging his forehead. "Besides, you _need_ your arms in this movie, so it's not like I can go on without you."

"Yes, you can," James pipes in with.

"Shut up, Jamie," Natalie scolds him with a hit to his arm.

"Shut up!" her son Noah echoes.

"Noah!" Natalie chides him. He pouts. "Mr. Cage, I'm really sorry about this," she apologizes for the umpteenth time since they all arrived in Johnny's trailer. Robin's now broken limb was a direct result of Noah playing train unattended while her babysitter was 'gallivanting about' with the male actors. Noah pushed his train in the path of Robin and James' feet and Robin was the one who took the unfortunate tumble down. James fell with him, landing on his arm and hearing a pop. Natalie promptly fired her babysitter after Johnny ran over to check on all of them.

"Oopsie," Noah mourns again. "I sorry."

Robin sighs woefully. "It's okay buddy," he tells the toddler.

Natalie rubs Noah's back soothingly, trying to hold back tears. "I just… I'll pay for your expenses, Rob. Crap, I'm really sorry, man."

Johnny pinches the bridge of his nose. "All right, Robin, go to the doctor, James, you go with him."

"But—" James protests before Johnny growls at him. "Yes, sir," he reluctantly agrees.

"Natalie, tell everyone they're done for the day, please."

The redhead hangs her head in shame. "Yes, Mr. Cage."

The three of them exit Johnny's trailer, leaving him alone to his thoughts. He takes out his phone and dials Sonya's number. "You've reached Sonya Blade. Leave a brief and detailed message," her voice pops up. He frowns and dials again. It rings a couple of times before she picks up. "Johnny!"

His irritation immediately spikes at her tone of voice. "Sonya?"

"Honey, darling, sweetie," she drawls, her Texan accent making a rare appearance. "I need you to… hey! Stop it!"

He then hears another voice. "Johnny? It's Roxanne," she informs him.

"For the love of Jesus," he mutters as he palms his forehead. "Yes, Roxanne?"

"Uh… see, we tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen to us. Can you please come and get her?"

"I'm _fine_ ," Johnny hears Sonya snap at someone. After a few mumbled curses, Sonya comes back to the phone. "Johnny. I know you're gonna be mad at me… but will you please come get me? I love you and I'm…" she lets out a series of giggles. "Yeah, just come. I'm at your _favoritest_ place."

"You're at… oh fuck. Okay, I'll be there," he tells her and hangs up. Shaking his head, he takes a few deep, cleansing breaths to check his already mounting anger.

When he gets to his "favorite" place, Johnny notices Sonya napping on Nicole's shoulder. Nicole immediately shifts when she sees him approaching. "Oh, thank fuck man," she whispers, obviously relieved.

"Silly girl," Sonya slurs sleepily, "you can't thank fuck. It's not a god or a higher deity."

Her friends groan and face palm at Sonya's statement. Easing Sonya into his arms, Johnny nods at Nicole. "Thank you," he tells Nicole with a strained smile. "All right Sonya, let's go," he expresses as he hauls her over his shoulder. He growls in annoyance.

Sighing, Sonya whines, "You're not calling me anything sweet again. Are you mad at me Bluesy?"

"We'll talk when we get home," he reprimands her.

"Oh, boy," she moans, grasping the idea of being in trouble with her husband.

* * *

"Andrews, you and your team are going to Beijing to keep watch over reported suspicious activity from some of the local terrorists," Flagg continues to hand out assignments. Cassie narrows her eyes as her team is the last team to remain in his office, awaiting their turn. "Cage," he begins. Cassie raises an eyebrow. "You'll be watching over Specialist Hendrix and her team."

Surprisingly, Jacqui is the one to snap first. "Are you fucking _kidding_ me?!"

"Briggs!" Cassie bites, staring at her in shock. Clearing her throat, Cassie addresses Flagg as coolly as she can muster, "Why are we doing this?"

"Because I said so," he barks at her.

Takeda frowns. "Flagg," he starts gently.

"That's General Flagg to you," he reminds Takeda.

"Yeah," Jacqui snorts indignantly, "that's _Brigadier_ General Flagg." She stealthily cocks an eyebrow at Flagg, as if to remind him of his rank. "We _could_ be trying to urge détente with Outworld…" she tells Flagg.

"You know what?" Cassie resigns with her hands in the air. "I actually don't give a fuck about Outworld anymore."

"Cass," Jin begins.

"No, fuck that! If Flagg doesn't wanna send us to Outworld, that's fine. I'm not going without Blade anyways; the big blue idiot sandwich fool doesn't want us there without her either. So fuck it. But one thing I'll be damned of is playing babysitter to some dumb ass bimbo bitch who can't tell the fucking difference between Alpha and Gamma," Cassie rants, rendering her team speechless. Takeda blinks, Jin fights off a cocky smirk, and Jacqui's amused expression at Flagg's livid face explains all. "Sorry, but I'll pass," she adds for good measure.

Flagg's eyes narrow at Cassie. "Do as I say—"

"Not as I do," Jin interrupts him with.

With a growl, Cassie does a sharp about-face and tilts her head, signaling for her group to follow her. When they get a good distance away from the office, Cassie slams her fist into the wall behind her, leaving behind a sizeable dent. "Asshole. 'Do as I say' he says. Do I _look_ like I'm in the mood to babysit?!" Cassie yells. She flips off the general direction of his office with a sneer and marches towards the gym where she believes her 'charge' is.

"Uh, oh," Jacqui mumbles as the three rush to meet their commanding officer.

"You!" Cassie yells at Specialist Hendrix when she gets to the gym. Hendrix stands up slowly, staring Cassie down. "Your team. Ten sets of drills. Pronto."

"You're not the boss of me!" the dark blonde bites.

"You think I _want_ to be here? No, I don't. But I am since you and your team can't seem to get their shit together," Cassie rebukes her nastily. The two girls get into an intense staring contest. "Ten sets, now," she repeats darkly.

Tilting her head defiantly, Hendrix repeats, "No."

"I'm not asking," Cassie grits through her teeth.

"And I don't give a shit. You aren't the boss of me."

"Cat fight," Jin teases softly, turning to Jacqui and Takeda. Jacqui slaps him upside the head. He narrows his eyes as he rubs his head.

Cassie growls at the girl. "So don't make me repeat myself. Ten sets of drills… NOW!" she screams.

Her eyes twitching, Hendrix takes a step back and shouts to her small team of recruits, "Get up guys. Sergeant Bitch Face says we have to do drills."

"Wanna call me that again?" Cassie threatens.

"Fuck off," she replies shakily as she walks away.

Jacqui raises an amused eyebrow as Cassie walks back towards them. "I can't believe she used your insult against you," Jacqui lightly laughs.

But Cassie doesn't share in her amusement. "Fucking Flagg and his dumb ass making me watch over her team again. I'm through with this bullshit."

Takeda shrugs helplessly. "It sucks, but he's in charge now, so we kinda _have_ to listen to him."

Cassie lets out a primal snarl. "He doesn't deserve to be in charge. My mother would've never wanted S-F to go to bullshit like this. She never even wanted him as her second in charge."

"So," Jin starts as he calmly observes his nails, "What are you gonna do about it? Get him kicked off the force or something?"

A mischievous smirk crosses Cassie's face. Jacqui's eyes go wide. Knowing her best friend well, she knew whatever Cassie was planning was going to put them at risk somehow. "No," she answers calmly as she folds her arms and follows Hendrix's team with her eyes, "I'm gonna find a way to reinstate Mama Blade."

The three of their jaws drop. "W-what?" Takeda asks incredulously.

Her smile gets bigger. "Yep. And you guys are gonna help."

Jacqui palms her forehead repeatedly. "Fuck," she mutters.

* * *

Hungover and annoyed the next morning, Sonya leans off the edge of the couch, her face in front of the famous bucket used to contain throw up. Johnny is usually the one using the bucket, so he's pissed over Sonya being the one to need it this time. She groans miserably. "Jesus."

"I can't believe you, Sonya," he shouts at her, disregarding her pounding headache.

"Don't shout at me, Cage," she gripes as she struggles to sit up. She rubs her temples as he folds his arms. "I needed to sleep somehow."

"Didn't I ask you to come to me if you were having issues? You promised you would."

"For the love of – Johnny, okay, I get it. Stop yelling," she tries to tell him as calmly as possible. She curls up into a ball on the couch. "I can't even close my eyes without seeing these images in my head," she moans.

"You know that's a problem, right?" he reminds her.

"Fuck off John. I don't need you stating the obvious. Every single time I try to talk to you—"

"—oh, you mean when you're not barking orders at me?"

"Don't even start with me! Where were you when I needed you all those years?"

Johnny folds his arms, glaring at her. "Really? Where was _I_?" Her head is pounding even faster in her ears. "I was taking care of _our_ daughter while you were busy playing hero to everyone else."

"I had to keep Earthrealm safe! It was my responsibility!" she snaps at him.

"Meanwhile, I had to tell our little girl every birthday or celebration that her mother couldn't be there because she had 'other' responsibilities."

"John," she begins, standing up and walking over to him, "everything I've ever done was for you two. I was trying to protect you both. But that wasn't good enough for you, was it? I had to go out and save the world from other threats and then come home just for you to tell me I'm not doing enough?"

Johnny rubs at his face angrily. "You rarely talked to me Sonya."

"Would you have even listened to me?" she shouts. She pushes past him and goes to their liquor cabinet, throwing it open and pulling bottles out. "Or were you too busy frying your brain cells and liver with the whiskey, and the vodka, and the gin, and the tonic." With each type of liquor she lists, she smashes a bottle on the floor. "As if I could compete with your precious liquor!" she spits angrily, breaking a bottle of luxurious red wine on the floor.

He narrows his eyes at her threateningly when she picks up yet another bottle of expensive imported vodka. "Sonya, put the bottle down," he warns her.

She's beyond the point of reason, so she begins hollering at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face. "I was rarely home because I was working for the both of you! _I_ was the one sacrificing _my_ life just to make sure _you_ had a safe one. And all I ever asked for was my husband's support. Instead, I get divorce papers shoved under my nose and a team of legal eagles bullying me into signing them. I didn't want to leave you. _YOU_ DIVORCED _ME_!"

"And _you_ cut _me_ off when you buried yourself in your work and…" Johnny trails off when he realizes his moment of déjà vu. This was the exact conversation he just had with Cindy.

"And what, John?" she yells at him. "Go on; continue to tell me what a miserable, uncaring, cold bitch I've been to you over the years. GO AHEAD!" Emotionally exhausted, Sonya sinks to the floor as her body burns with the heat of her temper, opening a floodgate of waterworks for her. She wraps her arms around her knees and rocks back and forth, ignoring the shards of glass cutting into her legs. Johnny tries to clean up the mess around her, but she roughly shoves him away, continuing to sob in her arms.

This was the biggest blowup they've ever had since knowing each other. Even their battles in court paled in comparison to what they were both experiencing at the moment. Johnny tries to take a few deep breaths to calm down. It broke his heart to see her upset, but he also didn't take too well to her depreciating him either. Totally frustrated, he shakes his head contemptuously and stalks over to the door. He flings it open to find Kenshi standing in front of him, knuckles of one hand poised to knock with a small carrier cage tucked under his other arm. Kenshi and Johnny stare at each other awkwardly as faint scratching from the carrier is heard. "Is this a bad time?" Kenshi finally asks.

Johnny sighs roughly. "I don't know… probably… I gotta go," he stumbles over his words before he pushes past Kenshi and leaves.

Flabbergasted, Kenshi is considering leaving when a choked sob from Sonya draws his attention. He peeks in to see the mess surrounding her and he steps inside the house, closing the door telepathically. "Sonya?"

"Leave me alone," she moans through thick sniffles. He walks closer to the kitchen and a distressed wail from the carrier jerks Sonya's head from between her legs. "Oh, great, I've upset the dog, too."

"Care to explain what has happened?" he softly inquires, carefully walking around the debris and sitting next to her, Indian style.

She lets out a shuddering breath. "I just want to sleep and forget everything. Or go back in time and change shit around so I don't have to feel like this again… or ever for that matter."

Kenshi nods understandingly. "Why don't I help you clean up? Then we can talk of what ails you," he offers politely.

More tears make their way down her cheeks. "Okay," she chokes out.

Kenshi places the carrier on the floor away from the broken glass pieces and Lucky releases another strained and displeased whine and howl. " _Ochitsuku, koinu_ ," he tells her affectionately. Using the energy from Sento, Kenshi finds their broom and dust pan. Holding out his hand for Sonya, he helps her stand up and she takes the broom from him, sweeping up the mess quietly, save for the occasional hiccup and sniff from her.

* * *

 **A/N:** Translation time: _Ochitsuku, koinu_ – "Settle down, puppy." This is what Kenshi tells Lucky in Japanese when she tries to crawl out of her carrier. Please review guys!


	17. In Faith We Trust

**Disclaimer:** Anything you recognize is not owned by me. Anything you don't recognize is mines, such as Lucky the Maltese.

 **Author's Note:** Took a while with this chapter, but it'll be worth it for the start of this last wave. Enjoy as per usual.

* * *

Cassie sighs into the headset she's wearing on Thursday. She's home a day early for two reasons: 1) Flagg is preparing to send her and her team on a small "mission" which will require them to mix in with civilians in a college setting during the weekend of Halloween and 2) she was told about "The Big Blowout" her parents had when she wasn't home. Not that she wants to spy on her parents per se, but she's worried about them.

She pours a tiny amount of dog shampoo into her hands and rubs them together to create some lather. "So then what happened after Kenshi made her go to sleep?" she asks the person on the other line as she commences lathering up Lucky in the bathtub.

"Well," Yuri starts, "your father mentioned something along the lines of therapy—"

" _Therapy_?!" Cassie yelps as Lucky whines at her. "Sorry girl," she apologizes to the puppy while lathering her ears gently. "Ugh, my mom would _never_ go for that."

"Something I figured as well," he agrees. "But Cassandra, it was… it wasn't a pretty sight. And Uncle Kenshi said she had not slept in days."

Cassie sighs again, leaning her soapy hands on her face. Lucky tries to crawl out of the tub but settles for licking Cassie's elbow. Because she can't gain any leverage to stay on her hind legs, Lucky slips and lands on her back, kicking her feet in the air. Cassie giggles at the sight. "Wow fluffy butt, nice job," she teases as she reaches for her phone to snap a quick picture. Cassie then helps her young puppy correct herself and she gives her a small but low growl. "Okay, I'm sorry!" she giggles.

"Has she fallen again?" Yuri wonders.

She nods before she realizes she's on the phone with him. "Yeah," she snickers. "Aww, Lucky girl, be careful." Cassie stands up and stretches loudly, something Yuri laughs at. "Oh my God, this is the first time you've heard me stretch. Don't laugh at me ninja guy!" she chides him playfully before grabbing the removable shower head.

"I'll stop laughing when it isn't funny anymore," he tells her cheekily.

She groans. "I'm gonna kick your ass the next time I see you." She gently turns on the water, making sure it's warm enough before bringing Lucky closer to her. Cassie gently sprays the puppy with water and she screams as Lucky howls and manages to jump out of the tub. "Lucky!" Cassie looks behind the toilet to see her cowering. "C'mere girl, I have to rinse you off," she coaxes her puppy gently.

Yuri's laughter blooms in her ears before he clears his throat. "You sprayed her, didn't you?"

"N-no…" Cassie answers guiltily as she grabs Lucky from her hiding spot.

He chuckles some more. "I have scratches to prove how much she does not like being blasted with a stream. Maybe try dipping her in a vat of water instead."

She snorts. "A _vat_ of water?"

"Are you making fun, Cassandra?"

"No, of _course_ not," she replies sarcastically. Nevertheless, she rolls her eyes and opts for refilling the tub instead. Still holding on to Lucky, Cassie gently lowers her back into the tub and closes the taps. Lucky begins wading through the water and Cassie's able to rinse her off. "Tada! I didn't get scratched, so ha!" she gloats.

"What's this?" Yuri teases. "Did you just say 'kick my ass'? Because this can be easily arranged."

Cassie bursts into incredulous laughter. "Oh shit, you just used my phrase against me." She laughs some more as she holds her hand out for Lucky. Lucky comes back to her and licks her affectionately. "You'll pay for that, Yuri-Nato."

"Of this, I am sure," he taunts her before his name is called in the distance. He sighs. "I must go. The master beckons me."

"Tell Hanzo to wait," she pouts.

He chuckles. "Right, because that will work for the Grandmaster who's a pyromancer. _Right_ ," he tells her.

"All right, fine," she concedes glumly, "we'll talk later."

"We shall. Bye Cassandra."

"Later, Ogawa," she teases before hanging up. She sighs before pulling Lucky closer to her, wrapping her in the dog towel. "So," she addresses the puppy affectionately, "I hear you're biting at your daddy. That's okay because you're my girl, right baby girl?" Cassie presses her nose against Lucky's and rubs them together. Lucky licks at Cassie's face. "Everybody's gotta know you're _my_ girl, right fluffy butt?" Lucky barks in agreement. "Good girl!" she praises with a bunch of smooches to her fur. "All right, let's go get some grub."

* * *

Johnny mopes in his bedroom. He tried practicing Tai Chi to realign his Chakra which didn't work. He tried taking his anger out on a couple of punching dummies at the S-F base, which also didn't work. He broke the fifth installed dummy and Blake reprimanded him harshly, muttering about "Cages being unlocked and destroying things." He almost resorted to going to McDougal's before realizing drinking is what caused his big fight with Sonya in the first place.

So, as he's centering his energy, he hears a knock on the door. He growls before trying to check his temper. "Yes?" he answers evenly.

"Dad, wanna get Thai food?" Cassie asks through the door.

He sighs, rubbing his forehead. "Sure," he ultimately tells her after a long moment of silence. He doesn't hear her move away from his room, so he wonders, "You needed something, Princess?"

"No," she hesitates before huffing. "Dad, come out of your room. I want to talk to you."

"I'm fine where I am."

"Dad! Why are you giving _me_ the silent treatment?"

He swallows uneasily. Just because his princess looks like her mother doesn't mean she deserves him ignoring her. "I'm sorry, Cass. Gimme a minute, okay?"

"Okay Dad. You've got exactly one minute," she tells him.

 _Smart ass_ , he thinks affectionately. He goes to his drawers and pulls out a t-shirt to wear. He opens the door to find his daughter and her new pet staring at him with large eyes. "Oh no, trying to double up on the cuteness factor?" he teases.

She shrugs with a smirk on her face. "Depends, is it working?"

"N-no," he half fibs. Lucky picks up on her cue to start whining at him. "Oh great, you're being manipulated by your owner, aren't ya, ya cute little fur ball?" He holds out his arms, asking, "May I?"

"Duh!" Cassie chirps before handing Lucky off to Johnny.

Johnny cradles the Maltese in his arms like a baby. "Hey little fur ball. How you doin'?" Lucky pants contently before giving a yawn. "And I'm suddenly having flashbacks. You did the same thing when you were a baby."

She laughs lightly as they both head downstairs. "I just hope you didn't call _me_ a ball of fur, Dad," she jokes.

He chuckles. "No, never that. You were my cute little Caged Punkin. My little adorable warrior princess muffin face."

"Dude, c'mon!" Cassie groans as Johnny teases her some more. She looks down at her puppy adoringly. "Aww, you're all comfy with Gramps?" she questions the dog as Lucky snuggles into the crook of his arm.

Johnny's heart takes a nosedive. "Gramps?!" he yelps as Lucky pants. "Help me out here, pup. Don't make her call me Gramps."

Cassie waits a beat to see if Lucky will protest. When she doesn't, Cassie smothers giggles with her hand. "Sorry, Daddy-o, the dog has spoken. You're a grandpa."

With a resigned sigh, Johnny shakes his head. "Brat," he grumbles.

Right when she's about to call to place an order, Sonya walks through the door with a brown paper bag of Thai food. "Speak of the devil," Cassie muses. Sonya gives her a look. "I'm talking about food. I was literally about to order Thai."

"Oh," she says quietly. Johnny puts Lucky back on the floor and she runs to Cassie, pawing at her legs. "Hey," she greets the two of them as she places the bag of food on the dining table.

Cassie looks back and forth between her parents awkwardly. It seems as if Lucky picks up on the thick tension as well, so she stays quiet and calm in Cassie's arms. "Okay," Cassie mutters.

* * *

After setting up the table for lunch, the three of them sit down to their meal. Sonya's on her phone, Johnny's playing with his food, and Cassie frowns as Lucky tries to bite at the table leg. "Hey! No, no," Cassie scolds the puppy. She buries her head in her paws abashedly. More unsettling silence ensues. Then: "So um… Flagg wants us to watch over a college campus next week," she informs her parents.

"That's good, Princess," Johnny responds, twirling his cellophane noodles on his fork idly. Sonya raises an eyebrow at him, but stays quiet. She grumbles over the loss of her game on her phone.

"But…" Cassie starts before changing her mind. She sighs roughly. "I'm leaving," she blurts abruptly, gathering Lucky in her arms.

"Where are you going?" Johnny inquires in an almost accusatory tone.

She shrugs. "Gonna walk the dog." With that, she leaves.

Sonya looks up in time to hear the door close. "She _left_?" she complains.

"Guess so," he tells her. She refocuses her attention on her phone, pointedly ignoring the burning glare he gives her. A few moments of silence later, he can't help but try to cut through the tension. "Why Sonya?"

She looks up at him from her eyelashes. "Why what?"

"Why didn't you talk to me more? Why didn't you just tell me you needed my support?"

"I thought I did," she tells him softly. "You were the one who said you didn't like hearing about my missions, so I stopped telling you about them."

He frowns. "When did I ever say that?"

She bites her cheeks. "A long time ago, John. You told me you were tired of hearing me relive my nightmares"

Johnny's face heats up in embarrassment and anger. "I never said that, Sonya."

She blinks, tears falling from her eyes. "Then you must not remember. I must've caught you at a bad time, but you said it. And I remembered, so I stopped telling you."

He swallows thickly. "I… I honestly don't remember saying that to you."

"Well, you did," she reminds him mournfully.

"We… we could've talked about it after."

"There was no 'after'."

"Right, because then you buried yourself in S-F."

She throws her phone down on the table and it bangs against her plate before clattering to the floor. "You're absolutely right. Why do I even bother?" She gets up from her seat and starts marching to the stairs when Johnny's hand grabs her arm. "What?"

"I'm sorry," he apologizes remorsefully. He takes her other arm and pulls her closer to him. "I'm sorry."

Reluctantly sitting on Johnny's lap, Sonya sighs and rubs her face. "I never wanted a divorce," she tells him.

"Me neither," he confesses.

She shakes her head. "We probably _should_ see a therapist," she finally admits. He looks up at her, flabbergasted. "I want to work things out with you, but we can't do that on our own. Not anymore. We've tried and look where we are."

He bites his lips pensively. _She has a point_ , he thinks to himself sullenly. "You're right. I know a couple of people. I can pull some strings and we'll have a session this week or early next week."

She exhales deeply. "That's fine."

"So it's settled; we'll see a counselor. Something we should've done before I let my temper get the best of me. I'm sorry."

"I should've fought harder. I let my pride get in the way of things, and as a result I couldn't focus on more than one thing at a time. It was either S-F or my marriage. I'm sorry I chose the former. Matter of fact, I should've been able to do both." She leans down and places her head on his shoulder. "I hate fighting with you."

"I do, too," he responds, wrapping his arms around her waist.

* * *

Saturday morning, Flagg has a meeting with the leaders of his multiple brigades and their second-in-command in a large conference room. A few officers are posted at the door, watching as he continues his lecture, something Cassie and Jacqui are paying little attention to. Specialist Hendrix, who is sat on Cassie's left lets out a huge, distracting yawn, causing Flagg to whip his head in their direction with an annoyed look on his face. "I'm sorry, Sergeant Cage, am I _boring_ you?"

Cassie scowls. "That wasn't me," she informs him crossly, folding her arms. Hendrix snickers as Cassie growls. When Flagg turns his attention back to the front of the room, Cassie mutters, "Stupid bitch."

"Cage, Briggs, your team will be watching over the dorms at CSULA next Friday," Cassie manages to catch the end of his statement.

"Wait…" Jacqui starts, " _this_ Friday coming up? As in… Halloween night?"

Flagg rolls his eyes. "Yes Briggs, that _is_ what I've just said," he snaps at her.

"Whoa, dude," Cassie starts in her best friend's defense as she holds a hand up, "she was just asking a question, Flagg. Take a chill pill."

"Hendrix," he addresses, deliberately ignoring Cassie's statement.

"Un-fucking-believable," she mutters, holding her head in her hands.

Jacqui raises an eyebrow. "Wait, isn't that where Aunt Sonya goes to school?" she asks Cassie.

Cassie frowns. "Oh, fuck me," she grumbles. She begins standing up as soon as Flagg dismisses them. "You know, I really hate this new 'regime' shit Flagg's trying to pull. I mean, it's like he _wants_ to do everything in his power to prevent us from going to Outworld. I mean, does he know something we don't?"

Heaving an annoyed sigh, Jacqui rolls her eyes and replies, "I don't even care about Flagg anymore. Did you hear about Blake wanting to plan a retirement party for Sonya?"

Cassie rubs her temples. "No," she answers, gritting her teeth. "That retirement party is happening over my mother fucking dead body. I need to hurry up and find a way to get Mom reinstated, even if her commission doesn't reactivate. A retirement party will just… it'll just cement the fact that she won't come back. I can't have that happen."

Cassie pulls out her phone and dials as Jacqui stares at her. "Cassie, just… _please_ don't do anything drastic."

"Oh," Cassie snorts, " _I_ won't be doing anything drastic." Jacqui pinches the bridge of her nose. "Hey. Sorry to bother you so early, but I need a favor," she tells the person over the phone.

* * *

 **A/N:** What do you think Cassie is up to? Do you think Sonya will _finally_ start opening up to Johnny and a possible therapist? Find out this and more in the next few chapters. In the meantime, review! Let me know your thoughts, ask me some questions. I'll even take constructive criticism into consideration.


	18. Therapeutic Medicine

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Mortal Kombat in any form. Its properties were created by Ed Boon. I only own the characters you don't recognize with the series.

 **Author's Note:** So congrats to MK for winning best fighting game at the awards, even though I loathe the second Kombat Pack… ick. That's another story for another day though. Anyways, here's another treat for you all. Enjoy.

* * *

Saturday afternoon, Sonya and Johnny are sitting on the white couch opposite each other, Johnny on the left and Sonya on the right. Sonya folds her arms while Johnny fiddles with his sunglasses. Their therapist (" _counselor_ ," Sonya defiantly insists) stares at the two of them curiously. Finally, she breaks the silence. "So, how long have you two been married?" Both Johnny and Sonya snort indignantly. "All right, I can rephrase that: how long have you two been together?" Johnny clears his throat nervously while Sonya swallows uneasily. Biting her lip, the therapist tries one more question. "How long have you two _known_ each other?"

"Twenty-five excruciatingly annoying years," Sonya finally answers.

"That's not nice, Sonya," he chides her with a frown. She scoffs.

"Okay, we're making progress… I think. How did you two meet?" The couple is quiet again, making their therapist sigh in aggravation. "I literally cannot help you two if you continue to block me," she reminds them as gently as possible, though Johnny picks up on the hint of irritation in her voice.

Johnny sighs. "We didn't exactly meet in the most conventional means," he tells her.

"Try me. I've heard some pretty outrageous things, so I can't be shocked any more than usual."

Sonya and Johnny share a look before blurting, "Mortal Kombat tournament."

The red haired woman nods once. "All right. I'm assuming it wasn't love at first sight?"

"God, no," Sonya drawls.

"It was for me," Johnny mumbles pathetically, something Sonya rolls her eyes at.

"You first Sonya, please tell me why wasn't it love at first sight for you."

"He was an annoying, conceited bone head who almost prevented me from completing my mission," she answers. Johnny narrows his blue eyes at her. "I was there for two reasons only: rescue my C.O and bring down the leader of a mercenary faction who'd just escaped our grip… again."

Turning to Johnny, she awaited his answer. "I thought she was a gorgeous military cosplayer."

"You thought I was a _cosplayer_?" Sonya wonders incredulously. He shrugs. "Jesus," she mutters. "Dr. Mason—"

"Marsden," she gently corrects Sonya.

"Sorry, Dr. _Marsden_ but uh… what does this have to do with us trying to sort out our relationship?"

Dr. Marsden chuckles to herself. "I get the feeling that you like things done ASAP, right?" Before Sonya can retort, she continues, "Sorry to break it to you, but wanting an easy fix isn't going to help you in the long run, I promise." Sonya is about to respond again when Dr. Marsden adds, "Do you remember the first words he said to you?"

Sonya closes her mouth and scowls at the therapist. "Yes," she begrudgingly admits. The woman in front of her blinks in wait, causing Sonya to grit her teeth and growl.

 _As Shang Tsung began describing the tournament, Johnny observed his surroundings. Glancing at her quickly and noticing her as the only woman in his vicinity, he looked to her and said, "Hey beautiful, Johnny Cage."_

 _Without a second look at him, Sonya scoffed and snapped, "Good for you."_

" _What? Massive Strike, Citizen Cage, Ninja Mime… None of those ring a bell?"_

" _Kano," she growled when she saw her enemy emerging from an alcove. Narrowing her green eyes at him, she clenched her jaw at the way he walked by as though he owned the place._

" _Kano? Wasn't in that one," he mused._

Johnny furrows his eyebrows at the memory. "Wow, I _was_ annoying huh?" he jokes.

Sonya glares at him. "You two are practically polar opposites," Dr. Marsden comments not unkindly. "Is that what attracted you to each other?"

Sonya gives her a blank stare. "I told him he had to be serious if he wanted an iota of a chance with me."

"It worked," Johnny mutters, folding his arms petulantly.

Dt. Marsden sighs. "Okay, this approach isn't working right now. What do you expect to get out of these sessions?"

"Well," Sonya begins, "I would personally prefer if these weren't treated like therapy sessions."

Dr. Marsden's eye twitches slightly. "Fine, I can do that. So, what's your biggest issue with each other?"

While Sonya says, "communication," Johnny blurts, "trust issues."

"All right, Johnny, what about your trust issues?"

Shoving his sunglasses on top of his head, Johnny sighs. "I don't think she trusts me to help her with her problems."

"Why do you say that?" Dr. Marsden asks politely.

"Because she doesn't talk to me, she doesn't come to me with anything, and she thinks I'm incapable of taking her seriously."

Dr. Marsden nods and turns to Sonya. "Okay Sonya, why do you think you have communication issues?"

Sonya throws a scathing look towards Johnny. "I tried talking to him earlier in our marriage. He stopped listening, so I stopped talking."

Dr. Marsden leans forward thoughtfully. "See, we're finally making progress, even for just the first day. I want you two to think about something over the week before our next meeting." They nod at her, waiting for her to continue. "Think about the very first time you noticed your individual issues in your relationship. Maybe you both had a misunderstanding. I want you to be ready to talk openly about it, okay?"

Sonya rolls her eyes. "Yes ma'am," she responds.

"Yeah, that's fine," Johnny agrees.

Dr. Marsden allows herself a tiny smile. "Good. See you next Saturday."

That night at home, Sonya is lying on her side with her back turned towards Johnny as he lies on his back and stares at the ceiling aimlessly. "That went well, I think," he tells her in reference to their session.

"I guess," she halfheartedly agrees. They stay silent, unsure of what else they can possibly talk to each other about. Sonya closes her eyes drowsily as she prepares to fall asleep. "Night honey," she mumbles, unable to keep her eyes open.

Johnny smiles to himself. "Night babe," he responds. After a moment of thought, he stretches to place a kiss on her cheek. She angles her head upwards and their lips touch. He captures her lips in his mouth, deepening the kiss. He pulls away as he notices her lack of attention due to her sleepiness. "Sleep well," he says with a smile.

"I'll try," she responds, snuggling back into her pillow.

* * *

On Sunday, Cassie frowns at her food as her friends are talking amongst themselves. Looking up, Takeda eyes her cautiously. "You okay Cass?"

"What?" she jumps. Jin and Jacqui now turn to give her the same guarded look. "Oh yeah, I'm fine."

"Sure you're not thinking about lover boy?" Jin lightly teases her. One sharp glare from her immediately wipes the grin off his face. "No seriously, what's on your mind?"

Cassie huffs and buries her knuckles in her cheeks. "You're right," she confesses, "I _was_ thinking about him."

"You don't sound too happy about the fact right about now," Jacqui tells her. Cassie bites at her cheeks. "Are you guys fighting already?"

"No," she answers thinly, trying to hold it together. "I just…" she starts before abruptly bursting into tears. Startled, Jacqui quickly makes her way over to Cassie and hugs her. The boys join in on the hug and squeeze tightly. When she shudders to a stop, they let go and stare at her. "Being with him scares the shit out of me," she moans, covering her eyes with her hands. Sensing their confusion, she tries to clarify. "I mean… I don't know, fuck. Takeda, help me out, dude."

He probes into her mind gently. Blushing, he looks away awkwardly. "What?" Jacqui questions him.

Takeda scratches his neck as Jin shakes his head. "You feel like you're holding back from him?" he instead asks Cassie.

She nods. "It just hurts emotionally, that's all. Like, I _want_ to be more open with him but I just… I keep thinking we should've met under different circumstances." Takeda's face heats up again. "You only saw one part though, Keda, but I'm not just talking about… that. I'm talking about total openness."

"I think with all the shit you've been through this year, it's understandable," Jin tells her. "In all honesty, I'm shocked you even gave him the time of day."

"I'm not _that_ much of a hard ass," Cassie mutters crossly.

Jin raises an eyebrow in defense. "That's not what I'm saying. I meant that it's hard for you to let people into your inner circle. Now, adding everything else… I wouldn't have blamed you for becoming a total recluse."

She sighs. "I know," she laments. "I just don't know what to do. I like him… a lot. But I feel like I don't show it enough."

"Well," Takeda begins, "Yuri's the kind of guy who appreciates and expects honesty. As long as you're forthcoming with him, he will be with you as well. And he's a really understanding person."

"I got that vibe from him as well," Jacqui adds.

"And he knows the situation. Hell, he's been in a similar situation as well, dealing with that evil bastard. If anyone understands your apprehension, it would be him for sure," Jin consoles her with a pat on her shoulder.

Cassie takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "You guys are right."

"Of course we are," Jin agrees arrogantly.

Jacqui rolls her eyes. "It's literally because we have your best interest at heart. And so does Yuri."

"It's gonna take time, Cassie. Don't rush it if it doesn't feel right," Takeda offers.

Cassie nods. "Yeah, I know." She wipes her eyes and sniffs. "I guess I just feel crazy because I miss him so much when he's not here. Plus stupid Flagg and just everything else… I'm overwhelmed and not being able to talk to him when I feel this way is… _bizarre_ to me, especially since we've spoken almost non stop since we've met."

"Eh, it happens," Jacqui reassures her. "That's how I feel when I don't talk to Taquito." She pinches Takeda's cheeks. "Because you're my Taquito baby!" she coos in a baby voice.

"And you're my little wacky Jacqui," he teases back as they give each other an Eskimo kiss.

Jin heaves a frustrated sigh. "You guys are uncultured," he mutters as Cassie blushes shamelessly. When they begin making out with each other, he makes a disgruntled noise and turns his attention back to Cassie. "Listen Cass, don't sweat it. I'm sure he'll be back sooner than you think."

"I hope so, Jin," she replies with a small smile.

Jin drinks from his cup as Cassie continues to stare at her food. "So," Jin begins, "what's the plan for Halloween?"

* * *

"A party?" Sonya gulps uncomfortably, staring at her school friends in shock on Monday morning.

"Yeah!" Roxanne chirps as Nicole and India nod enthusiastically. Sonya groans. "C'mon Sonya, it'll be so much fun!"

"Absolutely," Nicole nods. "It's this huge costume party the school has every year. There's gonna be drinks, food, games—"

"There's a contest for best Halloween costume with different categories," India continues to explain.

Sonya groans. "Oh, I know the feeling, sister," Andrew sympathizes with her as Elmo rolls his eyes at the squealing girls. "But in their _mild_ defense… it is a pretty cool party to come to. It's usually protected pretty heavily."

"How so?" Sonya asks the boys as the girls start fiddling with her braid. She squints at them and they blush profusely, letting go.

"Well," Elmo explains, "there's usually a heavy military presence around the campus helping out the CP. Usually from the Army and National Guard."

 _So_ that's _what Cassie meant_ , Sonya muses internally. "All right, I'll go," she suddenly decides.

They all turn to her. "Wait, seriously?" Roxanne chokes, having been caught messing with Sonya's long braid again.

Sonya nods. "Yep, and we'll be in good company too. Cassie and her team have been assigned to the campus," she informs them.

"Aww yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Andrew cheers, pumping one of his fists in the air. "You might kill me Sonya, but your stepdaughter is hot." She gives him a blank stare. "I won't do anything; unlike James 'I'm the ultimate ladies' man' Townshend, I actually respect the fact that she has a boyfriend. Right, she _does_ have a boyfriend, right?"

Sonya laughs at her young friend. "Yes, she does. She probably hates to admit it, but she's absolutely in love with him."

The girls giggle as the boys shake their head at her. "How do you even know that?" India questions Sonya.

Sonya taps her nose thoughtfully. "Trust me, Mama Blade knows her shit."

Nicole snorts. "Wow, you sound like my mother right about now," she notices kindheartedly. She gives Sonya a warm smile, one she returns. "So yeah, what are you gonna dress as?"

Sonya groans. "Is this really happening?"

The five students turn to each other before blurting, "Yes!" in unison.

Sonya shrugs. "I don't know. I mean… I have _one_ old costume I can resurrect, but I mean… Cassie might kill me."

"Ooh!" Elmo teases. "Is it a scandalous costume?"

Her lips curl into a sneer. "No, Elmo," she retorts in an expressionless voice. "It's… it's sparkly… lots of sparkles. I made a matching costume for her the year I wore it… she never let me forget it."

Roxanne giggles. "I know you have a picture somewhere," she states.

Sonya's lips turn upwards into an evil smirk. "Thing is… I have _pictures_ , as in more than one. She's convinced I deleted them. In reality, I've just transferred them to my phone each time I got a new one." They all snicker as Sonya pulls out her phone to find the pictures on her phone. "I'm warning you though," she alerts them, "not many people have seen me with this costume. We went to a private Halloween ball the year I wore it." Sonya scrolls through her phone as her friends gawk at her costume, a mint green sequined leotard/tutu combo with a set of fairy wings attached to the back and white sparkly slippers. In pictures with her and Cassie, Cassie's costume is a classic pick ballerina costume, her hair in a delicately intricate bun.

"Oh, my goodness! You're super adorable as Tinkerbell, Sonya!" Nicole squeals. Then she erupts into giggles. "Did Johnny go as Peter Pan or something?"

Sonya bites her lips, attempting to stop her laughter as well. "Yes," she replies, unashamed of the fact. "I made him dress up with us since he made me go to the damned party." Her friends burst into laughter as Sonya, Nicole, Roxanne and Andrew enter the classroom. India and Elmo wave goodbye to them as they went their separate ways.

* * *

Johnny gets home from the gym to find Lucky sitting on the couch, wagging her tail idly. Her ears perk up at the new arrival and she barks once, refusing to leave her spot. "Oh, really?" Johnny questions the Maltese with a smile on his face, which promptly falls at the prospect of unwanted presents. "What did you do, pup?" Lucky tilts her head at him curiously before panting happily. "C'mere, you adorable little brat," he beckons the puppy while slapping his thighs. Lucky hops off the couch and runs over to him, scratching at his pant leg. He picks her up and does a visual sweep of his home, sniffing the air carefully. "Hmm."

He doesn't smell anything until he gets closer to the back door. He finds a wee pad by the corner with a bit of dog poop on it. "Wow… so you're already housebroken, pup?" Lucky looks up at him and pants happily. Tucking Lucky carefully under one armpit, he uses his other hand to take out his phone to call Cassie. "Princess, what's the name of your mutt?" he badgers.

"Don't call my baby a mutt. And her name is Lucky," she tells him irately.

"Whoa, hey… what's got you all in a slump?" he asks with a frown.

She sighs over the phone. "Nothing… I'm sorry I snapped at you, Dad. I've just been in a bad mood lately."

"Wanna talk about it?" he offers politely.

She sighs again. "Gimme a sec," she responds. She moves to a quieter place and begins talking to her dad again. "I miss him," she confesses.

"Him being your boyfriend?"

"Yeah… it's really kinda painful how much I really miss him. Am I being stupid?"

He shakes his head and gives a small, humorless chuckle. "No, sweetheart, you're not being stupid, I promise." He's loathed to admit it, but he knows his daughter is smitten with Yuri, and he can't do anything to stop her from falling for him. Not that he wants to stop her, but he doesn't want her to experience the heartbreak he's experienced with a long distance relationship with Sonya. At least that's how he sees it in his head. "It's hard not to miss someone you love, especially if you've gotten used to being around them all the time."

He hears Cassie's breath catch in her throat. "I wouldn't go that far as to say I'm in love with him," she vehemently defends herself.

Johnny rolls his eyes. "You sound like your mother right now," he enlightens her. She scoffs. "Well, you do, Princess."

"Well, I don't wanna be," she pouts.

"You don't wanna be like your mother?" he jokes.

She growls. "No, I don't wanna be… the other thing you said," she protests childishly.

"You mean you don't wanna be _in love_ with your ninja dude?" he continues to playfully pester her.

" _Dad_!" she whines as he laughs at her. Then she mutters, "Ninja guy has a name."

Johnny laughs at Cassie's predicament. "Yeah, his name is Yuki Anata… something. No, I forgot." He actually didn't forget; he was testing her.

"His name is Yuri-Nato, Daddy."

"That's who you're in love with Princess," he finalizes with another chuckle.

"DAD!" she yells at him. "Oh, my God, you're so irritating!"

"Aww, Princess," he tries to sweet talk her; "you love me. I'm only teasing you. But don't hide things from yourself, okay? It isn't healthy for you."

"I know, Dad. You're right. I'll try," she soothes him. "I promise," she adds as an afterthought.

"Okay Punkin, I trust you. We'll talk later. I love you," he says tenderly.

"I love you too, Dad."

When he hangs up, he repositions Lucky in his arms. "So, Lucky dog, what did you wanna do with your Gramps?" Lucky scratches at him, so he puts her down. She starts running circles around him. "Oh, you're in a playful mood, huh? Let's go then, pup." Lucky barks as she runs around the couch, Johnny following behind her.

* * *

 **A/N:** Review as usual. I've been kinda slacking with replies, but I promise I'll get to some of them.


	19. Halloween Hijinks

**Disclaimer:** Anything you recognize, I don't own.

 **Author's Note:** So sorry this took forever to upload. I've been busy working and such. But now that the holidays are winding down, I'll be able to get back on track with updates. As a treat, I've also uploaded in _CageBlade Anthologies_. Enjoy as per usual!

* * *

Tuesday, Sonya ruffles through the closet in her and Johnny's room. "Where the fuck is it?" she mutters to herself, shoving more of Johnny's clothes aside. "C'mon mother fucker."

"Whatcha looking for babe?" Johnny asks her.

Startled, she whips around to face him, losing her balance in the process. Before she's able to fall completely, he catches her. "Dammit Johnny, you scared me," she complains.

"You're welcome for saving you," he counters as he places her on the floor. She folds her arms and glowers at him. "Anyways, what were you looking for?"

Her face softens into a blush. "Um…" she starts, debating on whether she should tell him or not. "Well, remember my sparkly fairy costume? The one that looks like Tinkerbell?"

He frowns thoughtfully. "Yeah, I actually still have it," he responds. She lets out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding. "I'll get it for you." He walks over to the closet and pulls a box down to the bed. He opens it and takes out her costume, shaking it for dust bunnies and cobwebs. "I wasn't sure if you ever wanted it back and I didn't feel comfortable throwing it away, so I just kept it."

She smiles at him gratefully. "I appreciate that, Johnny. Thanks." She observes the articles of clothing in front of her. "On second thought, I think it'll go to better use between Jacqui, Cassie, or India. Eh." She shrugs and folds up the costume carefully. "Oh!" she exclaims excitedly as she pulls out a long cobalt blue skirt with gold chains draped across the top. "Oh my God, I still have this?!"

Johnny smirks as he folds his arms. "I didn't get rid of any of your costumes," he tells her.

"Again, I really appreciate that," she reiterates. She reinforces her statement by wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a peck on the lips. She pulls away before he's able to extend their embrace. "So, which one do you prefer?"

He looks into the box. "Hmm, as adorable as you looked as twinkle bell, I think you should do the gypsy costume again."

She puts a finger to her chin, contemplating his decision. She has always respected most of his opinions so she agrees. "Yeah, I think you're right. One of the girls can use the other costume."

At the bottom of the box, she finds an old picture of her and Johnny at a Halloween party long ago. She picks up the picture to inspect it further. She was wearing the aforementioned gypsy costume while he wore a pirate costume, complete with an eye patch. Her long hair was down and she smirked while he had one arm wrapped around her and smiled down at her. "I remember that day," he tells her warmly, leaning his chin on her shoulder.

She smiles back at the memory. "Me, too," she reminisces with a happy sigh. "Despite the hard time I gave you during that trip, I'll always remember it as one of my favorites with you."

"I appreciate that, honey," he responds, pressing a kiss to her neck. He moves up to her jaw before catching her lips in his, which she smiles into. He pulls away this time, kissing her nose affectionately. "So, you're going to a party?"

She nods. "It's on campus and there will be a lot of protection that night."

"Good to hear," he whispers in her ear. "Then you'll come back and spend the rest of the night with me?"

With an eye roll, she laughs. "Sure," she soothes him, "We'll do that."

* * *

Laying a blueprint across the table, Cassie points to the south side of the campus. "This is where we'll be on Halloween. There's a huge party in the dormitories and it'll be on the third floor," she explains to both Hendrix's team and her own. "Jacqui and I will be on the east and west entrances. Jin and Takeda will take the north and south entrances, and Hendrix; you'll be posted right in the front of the dorm entrance with the campus police. From there, you'll place your team at other entrances."

"Yes ma'am," she answers with an eye roll.

"One more thing," Cassie remembers just as Jacqui is about to dismiss everyone. "I need you to have your costumes approved by myself and Flagg before the end of the business day on Thursday."

"Costumes?!" a male on Hendrix's team yelps.

Cassie narrows her eyes at him. "That's what I just said. Did you not get the memo?" three members on her team shake their heads slowly as a bashful look creeps on Hendrix's face. "Well, I'm telling you now. You have until 1700 hours Thursday to have your costume approved by me. If it's deemed inappropriate, you won't be able to do your patrol. Got it?"

The team grumbles and shoots death glares at their leader as Cassie's friends snicker. " _Now_ you're dismissed. Happy hunting," Jacqui struggles to tell them with a straight face. When they leave the vicinity, she, Jin, and Takeda burst into hysterical cackles. "Oh God, I can just imagine the complaining Miss Amber will get. Oh, man."

Cassie shakes her head but laughs. "Oops? Oh well," she says with a noncommittal shrug. "So… have you guys decided on what to wear?"

"Yeah, I'm not dressing up more than necessary. I'll just wear my Shaolin get up," Jin informs her.

Cassie frowns, turning to Takeda. "Gonna wear my Shirai Ryu garbs," he tells her.

Cassie's frown turns into a deep scowl when she rounds on her friend. "Well, since everyone seems to think military girls are hot—"

"Jacqui no!" Cassie wails. Jacqui raises an eyebrow. " _I_ was gonna do the sexy military thing!"

"I'll play you for it," Jacqui reasons.

With a scoff, Cassie sticks out her hand. "You're on." They launch into three games of Rock, Paper, and Scissors; Cassie wins the first one, but Jacqui wins the other two. "Aww fuck no! Best three out of five!"

"Aww, you're so cute when you're a sore loser!" Jacqui coos at her friend, pinching her cheeks. Cassie slaps her hand away repeatedly. "See, I was gonna do three of five but forget it. Pick another costume, bitch face."

"No! Jacqueline, come _on_ dude!" Cassie pleads. She shakes her head vigorously and Cassie wails again, sinking to the floor dramatically.

Jacqui laughs at her friend's dramatization. "Cassie, it'll be okay."

"Suck a dick," Cassie moans.

"That's what he's for," she retorts, pointing to Takeda. He blushes as Jin covers his face and Cassie groans. Jacqui laughs evilly.

* * *

Sonya's lips turn into a mischievous smirk. "I'm so glad you asked kiddo!" she tells her daughter.

"Aww fuck," Cassie groans for the umpteenth time that day. Sonya's smile turns into a frown. "Mom… the last time I let you pick out a costume for me, it was the frilliest, most sparkly damn thing my eyes have ever been blinded by."

"But you looked so adorable!" Sonya shows Cassie a picture on her phone.

"MOM!"

Sonya laughs. "You gotta lead by example, Cass." Sobering up, she clears her throat. "Besides, knowing Flagg, it'll have to be something no one really expects from you. Isn't that the whole point of even wearing costumes?"

Cassie sinks down on the chair in the dining room. "I hate when you make valid points," she grouses. Sonya smirks again. "Fine, show me the damn costume."

"Yes!" she cheers, grabbing her daughter's hand and dragging her upstairs. She leads Cassie to the room and pulls the box from under the bed. Throwing it on the bed in excitement, Sonya opens the box and pulls out the Tinkerbell costume. "Remember this?"

Cassie slaps a hand on her forehead. "Great," she starts, "I get to be twinkle belle."

"But you'll look so—"

"Mom… do _not_ call me adorable again," Cassie warns her. Sonya grumbles something about Yuri calling her cute. "What?"

"I _said_ , you wouldn't be complaining if I were Yuri," Sonya repeats herself. Cassie pinches the bridge of her nose in irritation. Sonya snickers at Cassie's incensed face. "All right, all right, don't bite my head off. Anyways, I think you might have to ask your father for the wings that go with this."

Cassie sighs agitatedly. "Okay, Mom. Thanks," she mutters sarcastically. Sonya frowns. "Sorry. I'm just annoyed."

"You _can_ get a different costume, Cass," Sonya informs her.

Cassie shakes her head. "It's honestly not about the costume. I'm more annoyed that we can't do anything about Outworld."

Sonya raises an eyebrow at her daughter. "Don't worry about it so much, all right? I'll find a way to get you guys down there."

"Yeah but… we tried to call a truce with the big blue idiot… he doesn't want anything to do with us because of the stupid amulet business." Sitting down on their bed, Cassie folds her arms. "He said he wanted nothing to do with us unless you were there."

This piques Sonya's curiosity. "Really? And here I thought he blamed us for the stolen amulet, us being S-F, myself, and your father."

"We tried telling him that. He literally wouldn't listen. And then I tried to tell Flagg the same thing and then…" Cassie trails off, biting her lips and looking away with a huff. "They just won't _listen_ , Mom. And they're stressing me out with their supposed tactical bullshit."

Sonya plops on the bed next to her daughter. "Don't worry, Cass. Mama Blade will handle the Outworlders, okay? No need giving yourself another ulcer stressing over things out of your control."

 _Another ulcer?_ Cassie thinks to herself before she gulps. "Yeah… ulcers are painful," she tells her mother thinly. They sit in silence for a while before Cassie speaks up again. "You know Secretary Blake wants to have a retirement party for you?"

Sonya snorts. "Retirement my ass. They forced me out; they can go suck it hard."

Cassie busts up laughing. "Wow Mom, and here I thought I got my dirty mouth from Dad."

Sonya smirks. "Yeah, well… I'm just saying." Cassie laughs again, Sonya joining in after a while. "Don't worry; I'm going to fix things, all right Cass?"

"Okay. I believe you. Thanks again for the sparkly costume."

"Anytime, kiddo," Sonya tells her with a smile.

* * *

"Well, look what the wind blew in!" a blue eyed brunette woman in her forties chirps in Johnny's ears as he sits at his favorite booth in the burger shop. Raising an eyebrow, he turns to see his old friend Anastasia Chambers.

"Oh shit, Stasi!" he cheers, standing up to give the woman a hug which she returns enthusiastically. "How have you been doing?"

"Amazingly well, thanks!" she responds, sliding into the booth across from him. She takes a fry off his plate and chews slowly. "And what about you, mister military man?"

He shrugs. "I'm only a part time consultant, but I'm okay, thanks." He watches in amusement as she takes another fry. "We're repeating history, are we?"

In the middle of a chew, she stops before laughing softly. "I can't help it," is her sheepish reply. "But just 'okay'? Not great, fantastic, amazing… hell, I'll even take healthy over 'okay'. What's wrong, buddy?"

He sighs, pushing his tray towards her. "I don't know… you remember how I told you Sonya and I wanted to reconcile?" She nods. "Yeah, I'm not sure how well that's working right now."

Stasi's eyebrows disappears in her bangs. "Wow…" she breathes.

"Yeah. I've been trying, but I still feel so much resistance on Sonya's end. I'm not even sure she even wants to reconcile anymore."

Frowning, she chews on another fry. "Do you think you're still in that weird beneficial friendship sort of purgatory? Because you were in a really dark place when that was going on," she wonders. With a sigh, Johnny nods. "You need to put your foot down on that, John."

"I did," he argues. "I told her I wanted to work on our marriage again. I don't want a friend with benefits; I can easily get someone if that was the case. But I don't want just anyone; I want my Sunny baby back."

"Have you said it in those exact words?" Stasi questions him.

"You mean if I tried to tell her that _without_ her chewing my head off? I feel like any time I mention it, she gets offended."

"But in that respect, holding it in is hurting _you_ in the long run. And as your friend, that hurts _my_ feelings," Stasi reasons with him. Johnny lets out a long, shuddering breath. "What about counseling?"

"We've actually just started going last week. Maybe I'll try it there. At least our therapist knows how to diffuse her temper for the time being if I were to bring it up."

She nods, finishing off his fries. "That's good then, right?" He silently agrees with her. "Good. I hope it works out for you both. I hate seeing you all pouty."

He grins slowly at her. "Thanks Stasi," he states, standing up to give her another hug.

"Of course. That's what I'm here for, pal."

* * *

Friday comes much too quickly for Cassie's liking, and she's forced to tell Dr. Marsden her feelings on her boyfriend. "I know I'm supposed to see him soon, but it's making me antsy. I don't know," Cassie explains to her therapist.

The red haired woman nods. "You've developed that level of comfort where you feel content in his presence."

"Exactly. In my head, I miss him, but I know once I see him, I'm gonna drive him up the wall." Cassie smiles tenderly at the thought. The two women sit in silence for a while. Then, Cassie blurts, "Why do people keep saying I'm in love with him?"

Dr. Marsden shrugs. "I don't know. Are you?"

Cassie snorts indignantly. "No," she mutters. The therapist raises an eyebrow at Cassie. "I mean… I don't think I am. I just like him a lot."

"What about him do you like?"

Cassie taps her chin with her fingers. "There are a lot of things I like about him," she responds. When she realizes her therapist is waiting for an answer, she continues, "He's really patient with me. I think that's one of the main things that stuck out to me the most."

"Does he know about…? 'The situation'?" Dr. Marsden asks politely.

Cassie looks down, ashamed. "He doesn't just know about it… he uh… he kinda sorta saved me."

"Oh!" Dr. Marsden's eyes go wide. "That changes things. You feel like you might only like him because he saved you from your situation?"

Cassie shrugs. "I don't want that to be the case. I mean, I genuinely like him. If it was only the case where he helped my parents and had no contact with me after, then it'd be an entirely different thing. But he actually gave a damn; he wanted to continue to talk to me, he continued to check up on me and stuff. We started talking to each other almost non-stop, despite the time differences we had and I began liking him even more.

"I already had this conversation with my mom about it, but I just feel like there's nothing I could ever do to repay him for fucking saving my life. How can I repay him, you know? He risked a lot to help me out and just… before you say something like 'maybe _you've_ saved _him_ ', my mom said the exact same thing and it still doesn't help," Cassie enlightens Dr. Marsden.

The red head nods. "Well… your mother _does_ have a point. Do you know the circumstances surrounding the events before he met you?" the therapist asks the blonde. Cassie frowns and shakes her head. "I'm just guessing because I don't know him like you do, but just think about this hypothetically. What if there was a situation where he had the opportunity of saving someone else before and for some reason, he didn't, whether by choice or not? What if his lack of action then prevented the safety of another? And what if by saving you, he was given a second chance at making things right for what happened in the past?"

Cassie sighs. "God, when you put it like that… you have a point," she reluctantly agrees. "Wow… that was deep, Dr. Marsden. And now that actually kinda makes me feel even worse. He's already risked a lot in his life, even before meeting or knowing about me. Dammit ninja guy, why do you continue to make such risky decisions?"

"Another common factor you both have is your bravery," Dr. Marsden adds, generating a smile from Cassie. "Maybe next time, ask him a little more about his past. I feel like it'll give you a better understanding of both him and your feelings on him."

Cassie nods. "You're right," she states. "Thanks a lot as always, Dr. Marsden."

"Of course," the doctor responds in kind.

* * *

"Aww, Sergeant Serious actually looks super cute," Specialist Hendrix, dressed in a candy corn witch costume, tells her team as they giggle and chuckle later that night.

In Sonya's old Tinkerbell costume, Cassie glowers at her. Her hair, usually up in a bun or ponytail, is down in soft curls, covering her now growing undercut and framing her face. She has body sparkle over her body and is wearing green and white sequined ballet flats. As she's trying to find a place to store her night stick, she flips off the Specialist and sneers, "Fuck off."

After doing radio checks on their headsets, the group begins to disperse, heading off to their posts. "Where am I, boss?" Jacqui asks her best friend as they enter the common room.

"Mmm," Cassie thinks. "You'll be over there by the main entrance," she decides as she points. "And I'll be on the other side. We're on channel one and the others are on channel two. If there's an emergency, we'll be connected to Flagg on channel four."

Jacqui nods and fixes her costume beret. "Got it." As an afterthought, she adds, "You do look super cute though. We need a selfie later." Cassie heaves an annoyed sigh. "If I were Yuri who just complimented you—"

"Go to your post, Jacqueline," Cassie scolds her as she walks away to her spot.

Meanwhile, just as Jacqui gets settled in her place, Sonya enters with her friends. India notices Jacqui first. "Hey girlfriend!" she blurts, waving her gloved hand as her crown almost comes off. She's dressed as Miss America as Roxanne has on a bumblebee getup, Elmo is wearing the Sesame Street character costume which is synonymous with his name, Nicole is wearing a police officer costume, and Andrew is dressed as a football player.

"Shh! You'll give it away," Sonya reminds her.

"Oops," she apologizes, fixing her sash. She leans into Jacqui and says, "Super cute."

"Thanks," Jacqui chuckles as she directs them all further inside of the room.

"I still think it's cool that Cassie and her team get to do this. It really makes us feel safer," Nicole tells Sonya. Sonya smiles in response. "Did you have to do this before?"

She thinks. "Yeah, I did. Long time ago though back when I was a lieutenant colonel. I went as Glinda the good witch," she explains as they make their way to the snacks table.

"Did you know Johnny and Cassie then?" Andrew asks politely.

Sonya raises an eyebrow until she realizes her friends still think she's Cassie's stepmother. "Oh… well, I'd already had Cassie then. She was about three years old, I believe? She went as a ladybug and Johnny was a sunflower."

"Wait, so you knew them when she was pretty young, huh?" Roxanne inquires.

Sonya laughs. "Aww, you guys are so cute," she teases, patting each head. "I guess I ought to tell you Cassie is my daughter."

Andrew, India, and Roxanne gape. Elmo's expression is hidden by his costume, and Nicole decides to gloat with, "See? I told you guys they had to be blood related. I want my money back."

"You thought they were sisters," Andrew argues.

"I said _blood_ related, you boob, so gimme my damn money back!"

"Elmo does not do well with demands. Elmo already used the money for something else," Elmo informs her matter-of-factly.

Nicole rounds on him. "Well, _Elmo_ is gonna have to pay me back in spades along with the rest of yous."

Interrupting their argument, Sonya places two fingers in her mouth and whistles sharply at them. Temporarily forgetting Cassie has the ears of a hawk, she catches her mother's eye and shakes her head at her tersely. "All right, kids, play nicely. Don't make me whistle again," Sonya warns them.

"Sorry," Andrew tells her. He leads them all to the snack table and grabs a few plastic cups to serve them all drinks. When he's done dispersing, he raises his cup and cheers, "Happy Halloween guys!"

Sonya gives him a smirk. "Happy Halloween y'all," she responds, her accent coming out once again.

"Did I mention how much I love your accent, Sonya?" India tells her as they start sipping slowly.

* * *

Back at the house, Johnny passes out regular sized candy bars to the children in the neighborhood, each one thanking him profusely every time. "Aww man! You're the coolest on the block dude!" a kid in a mummy costume tells him gratefully.

Johnny smiles at the little tyke. "Thanks kid. Here, have another," he responds as he shoves a few more handfuls into the kid's bag. "Happy Halloween." Surprising Johnny, the kid gives Johnny a huge hug before running off to find his siblings.

Right as Johnny closes the door, the doorbell rings again. He finds his actor James standing in a ketchup bottle costume with a little girl who's dressed as a dark witch, complete with the fake moles and green face paint. "Hey Johnny, trick-or-treat man."

"Hey James. And hey little lady," he greets them both, patting the little girl's head gently. "What's your name?"

She toes the floor with her boots. "Joey," she mumbles. Slowly, she holds out her bag and blinks at him.

"Her name's Joanna," James informs Johnny.

"It's Joey!" the girl insists, stepping on James' foot. Johnny laughs as James glares at his sister. Smiling politely at Johnny, she holds out her bag again.

"I respect that, Joey," he laughs as he gives her a big handful of candy, something she brightens up at. "It took us a long time to get Cassie to even be called Cassie. She always insisted we call her 'Cass' or 'Cece'," he reminisces.

Looking around, James asks, "Where _is_ the woman of the hour anyway?"

Johnny rolls his eyes, still aware of but purposely ignoring the fact that James has a crush on his daughter. "She's patrolling a campus tonight."

"Is she in costume or in uniform?"

Joey rolls her eyes at her big brother. "What did Mom tell you?" she berates him.

"Shush," he tells his little sister. She kicks him in the shin. "Ow! I can't ask a question?"

Johnny shakes his head at his actor. "I mean, she's in costume but it's not like you have a chance with her."

Joey bursts into giggles. "Ha, ha!" she gloats. She turns back to Johnny and states, "That's exactly what our mom said to him. Like he ever listens."

"And she has a boyfriend," Johnny adds, making James fold his arms petulantly. Seeing someone behind him, Johnny lightly shoves James aside. "Ninja Dude!" he exclaims. "Speak of the devil."

Yuri smirks at Johnny. "Good evening, Mr. Cage," Yuri tells him with a light bow. "Happy Halloween," he says to the two siblings. James rolls his eyes as Joey smirks knowingly.

Johnny beckons Yuri inside and Lucky immediately launches herself into his arms. "Well, we'll be leaving now. Thanks, Cage," James informs Johnny as he grabs his sister's hand.

"Bye, bye mister Johnny," Joey tells him as she waves.

Yuri cuddles the Maltese in his arms as she wags her tail happily and Johnny closes the door. "Welcome back," Johnny tells him.

"Thank you," Yuri responds as he places Lucky back on the floor. "Will Cassandra be here later?" he wonders as the puppy scratches at his leg.

Johnny cocks his head to the side. "She didn't tell you?" he asks.

Yuri counters Johnny's question with a raise of his eyebrows. "… No?" Then he frowns. "I'm assuming she won't be back later tonight."

Johnny shrugs ruefully. "Yeah, you'd be correct about that." Heaving a sigh, Yuri rubs his face. "You're more than welcome to stay though," Johnny offers as he gestures for him to sit on the couch. "She'll return tomorrow night I believe. Would you like me to let her know you're here?"

"She should already know," he replies, plopping on the couch in exhaustion. Lucky jumps on the couch and lies on Yuri's chest, panting contently. "I have missed you too, muffin," he coos at the puppy affectionately.

Johnny sits on the love seat adjacent to Yuri and states, "I'm waiting on Sonya to get back so we could watch horror movies together."

Yuri grins. "Sounds like a spooktacular plan," he jokes.

They share a laugh before Johnny's phone begins ringing. He looks at it briefly. "Speak of the devil again," he chuckles. "Hey, babe." He listens for a while before speaking again. "That's perfectly fine, honey. Just get here safely, all right?" He nods and professes, "I love you, too. See ya." When he ends the call, he sees a faraway look on Yuri's face. "What's on your mind?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing… I'm just thinking," Yuri answers. Apparently the dog doesn't seem to buy it, so she howls at him while scratching his hand with her paw. "Ouch, pup. Why are you doing that?"

"I don't think she believes you," Johnny teases. "You and my daughter have a lot in common. You both try to hide your feelings, but honestly you both wear your emotions on your sleeve."

Yuri shrugs. "I'm aware of this on myself, but I have not necessarily seen this on Cassandra."

"Oh, trust me, she does it a lot. Her and her mother," he explains. Johnny frowns thoughtfully. "Or maybe she's just more open with you… either way; it's still kinda rare for her to show extreme emotions except anger or annoyance."

"That's good to know… I think."

"You'll see what I mean soon enough, dude," Johnny tells him as they continue talking.

* * *

"Oh man, this is my jam," Jacqui tells Cassie, Jin, and Takeda over the headset.

Cassie observes the party, scanning for any mischief. "That's your fourth jam that played, Jacq," Cassie teases. Jin is heard laughing over the set.

"Don't judge me. I just happen to like music a lot," she responds. She catches Cassie's eye from across the room and waving her hands to the beat of the song.

"Just don't bless us with the sound of you singing, babe," Takeda tells her.

"Aka, Taki is the only one who likes your singing," Jin quips.

Cassie begins giggling as her mother stares at her. Her laughter becomes borderline uproarious when she sees the scathing look Jacqui sends her. "Aww man… that's not nice, Jin."

A new song both Cassie and Jacqui recognizes begins playing. "Wait! But this is our jam!" Jacqui responds.

Takeda and Jin groan. "Great," they mutter. Cassie starts swinging her head and hips to the song as Jacqui hums.

" _You may not break me_ ," Cassie sings.

" _I'm still fighting for peace_ ," Jacqui joins in with.

The girls both start singing the chorus over the headset, catching the attention of a few party goers, including Sonya's friends. Sonya shakes her head affectionately at them as Roxanne laughs. "Well, it seems like they're having fun," Roxanne tells her as they start dancing.

Sonya nods. "I can't say that I blame them. It can get boring after a while if you're not in good company," Sonya explains in reference to their watch.

"My ears are bleeding," Jin jokes.

"I hate you, Shaolin punk," Cassie laughs.

"Sergeant Cage, Flagg says to be on the lookout for a guy in a ghost face costume," Specialist Hendrix's voice is heard over their line.

Cassie rolls her eyes. "There are tons of people with the ghost face costume," she informs her.

"Well, be on the _extra_ lookout. Sheesh," Hendrix snaps before switching her line over.

There are a few moments of radio silence on their line. Then: " _Some_ one needs to get laid," Jin jeers, causing more uproarious laughter between the four friends.

Nonetheless, Cassie gives Jin a signal to begin crowd surfing, squeezing his way through people as he was instructed. "Ooh, your costume is super cute," a girl with blond hair in a sailor costume tells Jin as she rubs his hair, which he regretfully let loose. "You should totally call me."

"Barking up the wrong tree, sister," Jin lets her know as he peels her fingers from his hair. He continues pushing through the crowd until he gets near Nicole and a guy with a ghost face costume on. His arm is wrapped around her shoulder and Jin can tell she looks slightly uneasy. "Having fun?"

Before Nicole can answer, the guy retorts, "Bro, do you even go here?"

"I'm okay, thanks," Nicole tells him. She gently releases her shoulder from the guy's grip and says, "He's actually a really good friend of mines. I'm gonna go talk to him for a bit." Pulling Jin by the arm, she leads him away from the guy. "Holy crap, you are the world's best wingman."

Jin frowns. "Not sure what that means, but I'm glad to help. Is he making you uncomfortable?" She nods. "I'll stick around then."

"Thanks, Jin," she responds gratefully. He gives her a confused look and she replies with, "I remember you from Cassie's party."

"Right," he answers. Speaking into the microphone, he notes, "Takeda, go by the chips table, you'll see another one. Cass, I've got one of your mom's friends. She's gonna stay next to me."

"Good job, Jin. Jacqui, continue to keep watch," Cassie speaks to them.

"Cage, I have to leave my post. A fight just broke out," Hendrix tells her.

"Have someone cover you," Cassie tells her. And an overwhelming sense of unease shudders through Cassie's body. "Jacqui watch the door carefully. I have this weird feeling," she tells her best friend.

Not one to discredit her sentiments, Jacqui replies with, "Be careful."

Scrutinizing the crowd cautiously, Cassie narrows her eyes when she sees Roxanne leaning on Andrew with a drowsy look on her face. She turns back just in time to notice a guy taking a drink from India as she smiles at him graciously. If she hadn't kept her eye on him, she would've missed him slipping something in her drink. So, she loses it. She runs up to the guy and turns him around. Before he can blink, she decks him in the face. "What the—?" he wonders before she tackles him to the ground.

"Hands behind your back, asshole!" she screams at him. He struggles under her weight and tries to knock her off of him.

Sonya pushes her way through the crowd with Takeda following close behind. When she sees her daughter wrestling someone on the floor, she simply pulls out a pair of handcuffs and places them on his wrists. "This is abuse!" he shouts, a crowd now forming around them.

"All right, get up," Sonya demands, pulling him by the arm harshly and pushing her way through the party goers. "Move," she commands in her General Blade voice.

Jacqui finally makes her way to Cassie and finds her absolutely seething. "What happened?"

"Go check on India," Cassie tells her, running her fingers through her hair, agitated. Jacqui questions her silently. "In the bathroom." Speaking into her headset, she says, "Takeda, go check on Hendrix. I think this was a set up."

"Yes ma'am," he answers.

Campus police shows up and makes quick work of shutting down the party, much to everyone's chagrin. Jacqui comes out of the bathroom, holding (or dragging, rather) India by her arms. "Yeah, she needs to go to the hospital, both her and uh… bumblebee girl."

Cassie rubs her face. "Yeah, okay," she reluctantly agrees. "Are their friends gonna ride with them?"

"Yeah," Nicole answers shakily, "I'm gonna go with India and Elmo."

Jacqui nods. "Okay, good. You," she starts as she points to Andrew, "you're going with her, right?" she asks in reference to Roxanne.

He nods just as Sonya comes back. "I'm going with. Cass, please let your father know where I am," Sonya advises her daughter. She nods, turning away to make the call.

When the hysteria dies down an hour later, the foursome is left alone in the hall. Sinking down on the floor, Cassie buries her head in her hands. "You okay, Cass?" Jin asks her, putting a concerned hand on her shoulder.

"No," she mutters, trying her hardest not to burst into tears. Jacqui and Takeda sit next to and in front of her respectively. Shaking her head, she laments, "I can't believe that actually happened."

"Me neither," Jacqui agrees as the boys nod their heads.

"And Flagg didn't even help," Cassie complains nastily just as her phone chimes with the notification of a text. It reads: It's been done. She sighs forlornly. "That's gonna change soon," she reveals with renewed irritation. "Flagg is going to get the mother of all reality checks, so help me Elder Gods."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry to end that on such an anti-climatic note. You'll find out things soon enough. Please review as always; I appreciate you all.


	20. The Daylight Breaks

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Mortal Kombat in any way possible. I also am not earning profit by writing this fanfic. Anything you don't recognize (my other characters) belong to me, thanks.

 **Author's Note(s):** This is more of a PSA (Public Service Announcement) than anything, but I want to address a couple of things.

 **1)** I do not like seeing people bash someone else's work just because they disagree with the way it's written (aka flames and unnecessary backlash). If you hate the way something is done, don't be an asshole about it; try writing your own and you'll see how hard it is. I have been fortunate enough not to receive any flames thus far (and I will not tolerate them either, thank you very much), but I have seen and heard some awful things going on in both the FFN and the Tumblr community. Like, can we not?

 **2)** To the guest reviewers on my fanfic: thank you for reviewing, but I need to clear up something: please do not rush me into updating my fanfics, especially not as a guest review as well. I'm asking nicely because:

 **a.** It's one of my top pet peeves to be rushed. When I'm rushed, my quality is not as good, so I'd rather take my time so I can look things over.

 **b.** Writing is a craft; it's slowly taken care of and it takes time (reiterates point a).

 **c.** I have a life, two jobs (one freelance, one retail), and other projects that I'm involved with outside of this fanfic. I cannot and will not update at your beck and call and I certainly will become petulant and purposely not update, which wouldn't be fair to my other faithful readers, but it's not fair of you as a reader to demand any updates from me.

As stated in my disclaimer, I do not make a profit from this; this is being done on my free time between train rides as I work for a living. Simply put, do not rush me or my craft.

Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

Sonya barely makes their second therapy session on Saturday as Johnny waits for her in the reception area. His arms are folded as he sits in one of the chairs. She walks up to him until she's standing in front of him. "I'm sorry," she expresses regretfully.

He looks up slowly. "Are you all right?" he asks, standing up and enveloping her into an embrace.

She nods into him. "I'm okay. The girls are fine," she tells him.

"Good," he responds, kissing her forehead before pulling away. He takes her hand and leads them into the room where Dr. Marsden is waiting for them. "Sorry we're late, doc."

"That's perfectly fine," she replies, gesturing for them to have a seat, which they take. "How was last night?" Johnny and Sonya share an uncomfortable look. The doctor raises an eyebrow at them. "Did something happen?"

Sonya speaks first: "I just got out of the hospital. Last night, I went to a party with a group of my school friends and some asshole decided to drug two of the girls with Rohypnol." The doctor frowns. "I mean, I've heard stories about that in movies, but I didn't expect to experience it in real life. And I've seen some pretty messed up things in my day." She clenches her fist, trying to swallow her anger down.

Dr. Marsden notices this. "You're holding on to your anger right now, I can see. Has something specific happened in your experiences with war that's causing your current response?"

Sonya opens up her fist again and looks down. "Yeah," she mumbles. She thinks of the way Kano tricked, drugged, and tortured her and of the way he did worse to her daughter over thirty years later. "I just… I'm sorry, I can't talk about this right now," she states, pulling her legs to her body and wrapping an arm around her knees.

"All right, we don't have to go there today," Dr. Marsden lulls.

Sonya sighs. "I don't know who's more scarred, my daughter or my friends." Dr. Marsden blinks. "Something very similar was done to my daughter recently and I feel like it's my fault."

"Oh," she breathes.

Sonya nods. "If I had only gotten to her sooner instead of wasting time and resources, or better yet, if my past hadn't caught up with me."

"You did your best, honey," Johnny reassures her. She shakes her head vigorously. "You did what any mother would've done in your situation."

"But it didn't have to end that way," she groans.

Dr. Marsden is quiet, allowing the two to have a few private moments together. "Is that why you left?" she asks carefully.

Sonya snorts indignantly. "You mean when I was _forced_ out? Yeah, that's why. After all I've done and risked for my country, I get the boot while trying to protect my daughter. Quite honestly, I'm insulted and disgusted, especially at Blake."

"Oh, I thought you'd be madder at Flagg," Johnny pipes in.

Sonya shakes her head. "I risked a lot to save Blake back in the day. When we had the court martial for him, I put _my_ rank on the line. But he let me sink on my own when I needed him as a friend. And I don't think I'll be able to forgive him anytime soon.

"This is all on me, but I put a lot of effort into my job, effort I could've used towards my marriage," she mourns with a sigh. "But I'm trying my best. I just don't know where to start."

"And that's why we're here now," Dr. Marsden tells her. "Admitting you need help is the first step." Sonya shrugs. "I'll help out as much as possible, but I'm also asking you to communicate with Johnny as well; he'd understand."

Sonya looks to Johnny and he nods in agreement. "You're right," she admits. Placing her feet down on the floor, she scoots over to him and wraps her arms around his neck. "I'll try to open up to you more," she promises him.

"That's all I can ask for," he replies.

* * *

"So, you're not getting up any time soon, huh?" Jacqui asks Cassie when she sees her on the top bunk staring at the ceiling.

Cassie rolls over to face Jacqui below. "I want to go home. I'm waiting for Flagg to give me the damn release," she complains. "And worse of all, I want to see my ninja guy."

Jacqui scratches her head in confusion. "I thought he left."

"If he's not already back yet, he will be in the next few days," Cassie informs her. She gets a beep on her phone, signaling a text message. She quickly looks at it and smirks deviously. "And I'll be finding out what happened to my mom. I'm giving her one chance to tell me herself."

"Somehow, I doubt Aunt Sonya will take your threat lightly."

"I'm gonna ask in the nicest way possible!" Cassie reassures her best friend. Jacqui scoffs in disbelief. "I'm serious! I'm gonna have lunch with Mom."

Flagg knocks on their room door. "Yes?" Jacqui answers. He hands her a letter and leaves. Jacqui glances quickly at it before passing it off to Cassie. "There you go," she says.

Cassie finally sits up in bed and quickly scans the letter. "Whoo hoo!" she cheers, jumping down from her bunk to Jacqui's and then to the floor. "See ya on Monday, Jacq-Jacq," she tells her best friend with a friendly hug. Grabbing her weekend duffle bag, she skips out of the room.

When she gets to the parking lot, she sees her mother driving Johnny's Ford Expedition with Johnny in the passenger seat. "Hey kiddo!" Sonya greets her daughter happily.

"Hi Mom," she replies, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek through the window before opening the back door.

Sonya smiles. "You're in a good mood," she notes as Cassie ruffles Johnny's hair. "So, you wanted to grab lunch?"

"Yeah, I originally wanted it to just be us, but Dad can join if he wants," Cassie tells Sonya.

Johnny feigns being hurt. "Aww Princess, don't want your old man ruining girl time?" he pouts as she rolls her eyes. "Nah, I'm joking. If you want it to just be you gals, I'm okay with that."

"Okay cool, so you'll drop off my stuff at the house," Cassie responds without missing a beat. Sonya laughs at Johnny's scandalized face. "Love you, Dad."

"Uh, huh," he mutters, pouting.

They first drive to the house to drop Cassie's bag and Johnny off at the house before getting back on the road to the pizza spot by the marina. When they get out, Sonya slips her sunglasses on her face. "Cute shades," Cassie compliments.

"Thanks, Cass," Sonya responds with a smile. They grab a table outside closer to the water as a gentle breeze blows through the picnic umbrella. She wraps her sweater closer to her body and rubs her arms. "I'm thinking we might have a chilly winter this time around," she observes as another breeze makes her shiver.

Cassie nods. "I think I agree with you." They sit in silence between each other, listening to the tourists' jet-skiing across the ocean. A moment later, she decides to make the plunge. "So I was wondering because I've never asked, what happened after the warehouse?"

Sonya flips her glasses above her head and raises an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?" she asks, stalling for time.

Cassie narrows her eyes. "Between me being in the hospital and me coming home, you went from four-star general to civilian," she clarifies. Sonya folds her arms and sits back on her chair. "I mean, I didn't know because no one told me anything, but something must've happened. And I know it involves Flagg or Blake, or both."

Sonya purses her lips carefully. "Well, I left," she finally decides to answer. Cassie blinks in wait. "That's all I can tell you, Cass. I left."

Cassie gives her a dubious look. "The question is, was it your choice or…?"

Sonya doesn't feel comfortable telling her daughter the circumstances, but she feels even more uncomfortable lying to her. "I left with a general discharge under honorable conditions," she tells her.

Cassie frowns. "That doesn't seem fair," she notes.

Sonya shrugs. "It is what it is," she replies. Their waiter comes over to take their order of two chicken Caesar salads and a side of curly fries. "They were going to give me a court martial but I said no."

"Why?" Cassie wonders with a frown as she sips her water.

"Why what?"

"Why did you say no to the court martial?"

"Were you _really_ going to be in a good place to show up at my court martial? Because that's what was gonna happen, Cassie. I was trying to protect you."

Cassie holds up a hand in defense. "Okay, okay I'm sorry."

Sonya pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes. "I didn't mean to snap at you. It's painful to talk about, all right? I don't necessarily like being out in the world like this without having explained my actions. But I'm also not about to let them drag you down either," she explains to Cassie.

Cassie swallows uncomfortably. "You're right," she concedes, "that would've driven me over the edge, especially since it would've been too soon to talk about it. Hell, it's _still_ too soon for me to talk about it if we're being honest."

"You haven't spoken to your therapist about it yet?"

"I can't even speak to Jacqui about it, let alone my therapist. But she understands though and I'm glad she isn't trying to force it out of me."

Sonya nods. "I'm glad, too," she responds with a small smile. They receive their food and Cassie goes for the fries while Sonya plucks a piece of romaine lettuce from her salad. "So, how are you and Yuri doing?"

Cassie grins happily. "We're good," she chirps and Sonya chuckles at her daughter's brightened mood.

"That's great to hear. I'm pleased you have him as an extra support system. Plus he's probably the nicest boy you've brought home to date."

Cassie covers her face in shame. "Ugh, high school doesn't count, Mom."

Sonya gives Cassie a rueful look. "It does to me," she insists. Cassie groans. "Plus he's an amazing chef."

Cassie quirks an eyebrow at her mother. "You've had his cooking? How?"

"He made breakfast for Johnny and Johnny gave me some," Sonya replies casually. When Cassie blinks again, she adds, "And he's such a polite house guest. He actually organized your room."

"You guys let him stay over?" Cassie wonders with wide eyes. Sonya giggles and nods. "Wow, you guys must really like him."

"Because you do as well," she teases, shaking her head humorously when Cassie's face goes red. "Tell me I'm lying," she taunts.

"You're a shameless liar," Cassie mumbles, her face still tinged with pink.

Sonya laughs. "Yeah, I'm sure," she jokes before taking a bite of her salad. "I wonder if it was such a good decision to leave your father alone with him…" Sonya muses.

Cassie drops her fry in shock. "Oh no! Mom, why would you let us do that?!" she wails, grabbing her hair in a panicked state.

"They'll be _fine_ Cass," Sonya tries to reassure her daughter. Then she mutters, "I hope."

* * *

Johnny laughs as he sees Yuri playing tug-of-war with Lucky on the floor. "C'mon pup! You can do it! Get him, get him good!" Johnny cheers the Maltese. The puppy pauses for a second before growling with renewed vigor and tugging at her rope harder. "Yeah, you're about to get Caged, Ninja Dude!"

"Somehow, I doubt that," Yuri responds as he lifts the rope, causing Lucky to stand on her hind legs. "For your next assignment muffin face, try to stand without losing your grip," he coaches his puppy. The two men laugh when they see Lucky swiping her paws in the air. She growls at them and Yuri decides to put her down. "All right, good effort," he tells her while giving her a treat. She takes it and lies on the floor, playing with her food before eating it as Yuri watches her adoringly.

"So," Johnny starts as an ice breaker, "how'd you find out about Kenshi?"

"Oh," Yuri begins, sitting down Indian style as Lucky crawls into his lap. "Well, that was a complete and utter accident. I actually knew about Takeda first because we grew up together."

"Oh, in Thailand?" Johnny asks. Yuri nods. "That's pretty cool. So do you speak Thai or…?"

"Thai is my first language," Yuri tells Johnny. He chuckles when Johnny's blue eyes go wide in shock. "They made us learn English in school, but I did not take too well to the new language initially. I also vaguely remember learning Japanese long ago."

"I mean, I think your English is pretty good considering," Johnny compliments.

"Thank you," Yuri accepts. Lucky yawns and rests her head on Yuri's ankle. "Aww, are you tired?" he questions, ruffling her fur gently. "Yes, when I was around eleven years old, Takeda went to Japan, so I did not know anything about Kenshi until I joined the Shirai Ryu."

Johnny furrows his eyebrows thoughtfully. "Oh, you must've joined right as Hanzo was rebuilding the clan after the blood code incident." Yuri nods. "Ahh got it." They sit in silence for a while, listening to Lucky's soft snoring and the outside world. Then: "Usually, the father of the girl and the guy she's dating isn't supposed to get along so well."

Yuri raises his head. "Oh?"

Johnny chuckles. "I'm saying you make it hard for me as a father to hate you," he laughs.

Yuri shakes his head at Johnny. "Well, this would be the first time someone has said this to me. But please know I am not perfect."

"Yeah, that I know," Johnny informs him. "I'm still looking though."

"I would never do anything to intentionally hurt Cassandra, just so you are aware."

"Yep, because you'd have a multitude of people coming after you, Ninja Dude," Johnny warns him.

Yuri smiles. "I understand," he tells Johnny as they hear the keys jingling in the door. Lucky perks up from her nap and runs to the door, scratching at it. "As soon as _Mae_ comes home, you abandon me. _Et tu_ , Lucky?"

Cassie opens the door and picks Lucky up from the floor. "Hi fluffy butt! You missed me, huh?" she coos as the puppy licks at her face and wags her tail happily.

Sonya gently pushes past Cassie and kicks off her shoes. "Hi honey," she greets Johnny. She walks over to him and presses her lips to the top of his head. "You didn't terrorize our favorite guy, did you?"

"Oh yes he did," Yuri jokes as Cassie laughs at Johnny's confused face. "It was _torture_ ," he exaggerates.

Johnny fights back a grin. "Et tu, Yuri?" Johnny asks as Cassie continues to giggle.

"Wow, you left my dad speechless. Not many people can do that. I'm impressed," she compliments her boyfriend. She's about to put Lucky down when her phone rings. Frowning, she shifts the puppy and answers her phone after a brief glance. "Yeah, Jacqui?" She frowns and makes a face. "Okay, okay Jacqui, calm the fuck down. Ugh, all right, see you." The three of them look at Cassie as she sets her puppy down. "I have to speak with Jacqui about something. When I come back, I need to talk to you," she finalizes as she points to Yuri.

"Uh oh," Sonya mumbles as Yuri narrows his eyes. "Come Johnny; let's go take the puppy for a walk."

"I don't wanna get up," he whines. One sharp growl from Sonya causes him to change his mind. "All right, mean military lady, I'm coming." He gets up and yelps as Sonya pinches him on the arm. "Really babe?" he complains as he grabs the leash from the key hook. She picks up Lucky and they both leave the house. A few seconds later, Johnny comes back and tosses the house keys at Yuri. "We'll be a while, so lock the door if you go out."

"Will do."

* * *

"Flagg said that?!" Cassie squeaks nervously, staring at Jacqui in disbelief.

Jacqui groans. "Yes, that's what I just told you he said, Cass," she snaps, rubbing her forehead. Cassie glowers. "Sorry, but I told you not to do anything rash."

"And I told you that _I_ wouldn't," Cassie retorts. The two girls fold their arms. After a while, Cassie sighs. "Okay, tell me how this conversation even came up."

Jacqui rolls her eyes. "Super annoying, but okay," she begins as she recounts the events about an hour and a half prior.

 _After Cassie left the base, Jacqui met up with Takeda to grab lunch together. Before they were able to leave though, Flagg stopped them in their tracks. "Corporal Briggs, I need to speak with you. It's important," he commanded._

 _Jacqui and Takeda gave each other a look before he nodded towards her. "I'll see you later," Takeda told Jacqui, squeezing her hand gently._

 _When he's away from them, Flagg gestured with his head for Jacqui to follow him to his office. Rolling her eyes, Jacqui walked behind him silently. They reached his office and she closed the door behind her. "So," she began, "what's this about?"_

 _Flagg sat at his desk and folded his hands on top tensely. "Did you go into Sonya Blade's files any time recently?"_

 _Jacqui's light brown eyes widened in shock briefly at Flagg's accusation before she controlled her response. She had nothing to be guilty of. "Absolutely not," she answered honestly._

" _Do you know who might have?" he interrogates her._

 _ **Yes**_ _, she thought silently to herself. "Nope, can't say that I do," was her cool response instead._

 _He sighed, thoroughly aggravated at his charge. "If I find out you're lying—"_

" _Which you won't because I'm_ _ **not**_ _," she snapped._

"— _you_ _ **will**_ _be punished; you do understand that, right?" Flagg continued as she stared him down._

 _Jacqui sighed harshly. "I did not go into her files. I would never break protocol like that. And I certainly wouldn't cover for someone who did; I don't condone that type of nonsense and I'm highly offended you'd even think so lowly of me, General Flagg," she fumed, folding her arms._

 _He sat back on his chair. "Well then, for the time being, I believe you. But if you do happen to know anything, please come to me."_

" _Fine," she sneered, turning on her heel to leave the office._

" _I didn't dismiss you, Corporal," he told her. She narrowly fought the urge to stick her middle finger up at her superior officer._

Cassie stares at her best friend in disbelief. "Wow, you should've been an actress," she notes after a while, letting out a giggle.

Jacqui is unimpressed. "So help me Elder Gods, if you get me into trouble Cass—"

"Jacqui, I can honestly and with a straight face tell you that _I_ didn't go into my mother's files. I promise," Cassie pleads, squeezing her best friend's hand. Jacqui softens up at the gesture. "Mom is being all tight lipped about everything too, so my uh… my go to person had to find out stuff. And find out stuff they did; I'm about to find out some shit that could actually get Flagg into a lot of trouble."

Jacqui smirks. "I don't know what's worse, stealing files from a federal army base office, or blackmailing your superior officer."

"Well, seeing how I technically didn't do the first one," Cassie informs Jacqui as she snickers impishly.

Jacqui reluctantly joins in. "You're an evil bitch, you know that?"

"You said 'crafty' wrong," Cassie teases.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry about the above rant. I still appreciate reviews; I'm just not the biggest fan of being rushed. Anyways, read and review as always.


	21. Unbridled Fibs

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own any of the properties belonging to Mortal Kombat. I wish I was this much of a genius. I only own my crazy little plot.

 **Author's Note:** Speaking of plots… this one thickens. Enjoy as per usual.

* * *

"So… did you get it?" Cassie asks later Saturday night as she sits on her bed, looking up at him.

Yuri sighs unhappily. Going into his pockets, he fetches his phone and tosses it to her, which she cradles in her hand once she catches it. Lucky begins nipping at his leg, begging for his attention. "I did. It was no easy task I must say."

She bites at her cheeks. "I know. I'm sorry. But I really appreciate you doing this for me," she thanks him gratefully with a smile. When he doesn't return it, she looks away awkwardly. "Look, it's important to me, okay?"

"I did not say it was unimportant," he argues snappishly, folding his arms. She looks down at his phone ashamed. He closes his eyes, unfolds his arms, and takes a deep breath. "Sorry." He finally decides to pick up their puppy and he cradles her in his arms tenderly.

"It's okay," Cassie tells him softly. She turns the phone over in her hands. "Shit," she mumbles. She looks up at him and he cocks an eyebrow at her. "I'm not sure I _want_ to know this information." He glowers at her. "Hey, hey, take it easy! I didn't say I don't want it. I'm just not _ready_ for it." She looks back and forth between him and his phone. "C'mere," she beckons him, holding her arms out and wiggling her fingers.

Rolling his eyes, he bends slightly to release Lucky, who jumps on Cassie's bed and sits on her pillow. He walks over to her and kneels before her, allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck. His hands trace up her arms before sliding over her shoulder and down her back. With a gentle tug, he brings her down to his level. "You owe me, Cassandra."

"Ooh," Cassie teases as she tilts her head, "we having a lovers spat now?"

Yuri shakes his head at her. "Something of the sort," he responds. He closes their distance with a kiss. "Seriously," he starts as he pulls away, "that place is locked tighter than Fort Knox."

She stifles her giggles by burying her face in his neck. "Stop it," she whines. She glances back up at him. "I asked you to do something super risky and stupid. But… it's for a good cause, I swear."

He blinks at her. "Oh?"

She stands back up and grabs his phone from her bed. "Yeah. I just have way too any questions and the person I want answers from isn't giving me what I want." He opens his mouth to say something when she adds, "I know you're thinking I'm being a spoiled brat, but hear me out, okay?"

"All right," he decides after a while, "I'm listening."

Cassie pats the space next to her on the bed, which Yuri takes as Lucky sits herself between the two of them, setting her head on his leg. Cassie turns to him and leans in to show him his phone. "Okay, usually when someone in any of the military branches serves and asks for retirement, they have their records checked, right? From there, they can be given one of five types of discharges," she begins to explain to him.

"One of _five_?" he echoes

She nods. "Now the two main discharges, honorable and dishonorable, are pretty self-explanatory. An honorable discharge is the best discharge to get upon your separation in the military. On the other side of the spectrum, a dishonorable discharge is the worst of the discharges you can receive. You're usually forced out if that's the case. The second best discharge to get is a general discharge under honorable conditions. It isn't too bad, but it doesn't give you a lot of benefits at the end of the day. That's what my mom says she has in her records... The other two, are a bit more serious and requires more investigation surrounding the circumstances.

"An OTH or 'Other than Honorable' discharge is a result of deviances from the military code of conduct, like if you begin abusing your authority and stuff," she continues. She looks at him and he gestures that he's still listening to her. "But with this one, you at least have a chance of having your records reviewed to see if you can qualify for any of the veteran benefits. And lastly, the bad conduct discharge is literally a step above the worst kind of discharge to get. Both the bad conduct and the dishonorable discharges require a court-martial to determine the circumstances behind the decision and whether you get benefits or not."

"Which one does your mother have?" he asks her.

Cassie looks at his phone and scrolls down to the bottom of the page where it says her type of discharge. "What the fuck?!" she practically shouts before realizing the time. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she lowers her voice. Yuri raises an eyebrow at her while Lucky howls. She takes a few cleansing breaths before answering, "It's not the one she deserves, and I'm sure that's not what fucking idiot Flagg told her either."

He blinks at her before slowly catching on. "So," he starts slowly, "What are you saying?"

The puppy turns to look at her owner expectantly, panting idly. She takes a deep breath. "I'm _saying_ my mother doesn't deserve an OTH discharge. This looks horrible on her records, especially considering they didn't even give her a court martial as far as I know." He nods understandingly. "So my question is this: what has happened for the grand General of the United States to give my mother, Sonya freaking Blade of all people, an OTH discharge?"

"Do you think she has been forced to resign?" Yuri inquires. She nods. "That is… quite the serious accusation, Cassandra."

"I know," she moans, slapping a frustrated hand on her forehead. Lucky whines again and Cassie strokes the top of her head warmly. "I need to find a way to prove or show she doesn't deserve anything less than an Honorable Discharge. Or better yet, that she shouldn't have even been discharged in the first place. _That's_ why I needed her files. I just couldn't get them from her old office because I'm known on the base as her daughter." She pouts. "And now I feel like an asshole because I made you do it. Fuck, I'm so sorry."

"I could have declined," he counters. "But I did not, so…"

"It's my Caged charm; you couldn't say no if you really wanted to, dude," she jokes with a laugh. He stares at her with a serious expression on his face. She bites her lip. "Sorry," she tells him once more while looking down.

It's his turn to laugh. "You are forgiven." She perks up significantly, wrapping her arms around his neck from the side and giving him a kiss on the cheek. She moves her lips across his jawline until she reaches his lips. He turns his body slightly so he's more comfortable in their embrace. When she opens her mouth slightly, he responds by slipping his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. After a few moments, he reluctantly pulls away. "I'm exhausted," he informs her with a yawn.

"Stay over," Cassie tells Yuri.

"I'm sure I have overextended my welcome," he admits, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"You haven't, I promise. My parents would've kicked you out already if they thought you did. So you're staying," she demands. Shuffling Lucky to the floor, she scoots over on her bed to make room for him. She tries not to watch as he takes off his many layers until he's down to just his boxers. He grabs a pillow and is in the process of lying on the floor when she snaps, "Hey, hey, hey." He turns to her with a frown. "Come here, you. There's space on the bed. Plus, you're not putting my pillows on the floor."

He groans but does what she says, crawling over her until he's spooning her. As a result of this, Lucky climbs back up the bed and nips at his toes. "Ouch! Why are you torturing me, muffin face?" he interrogates the puppy. She barks at him a few times in response. "Aww, have I stolen your space?" he pesters the Maltese. She growls and barks again. With a sigh, he sits up to beckon their dog closer to them. He goes to spoon Cassie again when Lucky uses her paw and nose to move his head. Changing his mind, he turns his back to Cassie but stays close. "Spoiled dog, just like your mother," he grouses as he pulls the covers over both of their bodies.

She laughs at the exchange between the two of them. "Night Yuri," she tells him.

"Goodnight, Cassandra," he replies.

She turns her head to him. "You know, you _can_ call me Cassie. I'll even accept Cass."

"I'm aware," he quips cheekily.

She snorts. "Okay then, I'll just start calling you Yuri-Nato all over again."

"Do not," he warns her playfully.

She giggles. "So, let's try that a second time, shall we? Goodnight, Yuri."

She feels him chuckling at her antics. "Goodnight, Cassie," he responds drowsily.

Even though they fell asleep facing away from each other, Cassie and Yuri have managed to get themselves into a comforting embrace. Cassie's lying on her stomach on top of Yuri, one leg between his and her head buried in his neck, while Yuri has one protective arm wrapped around her waist and his other arm bent around the back of his neck. Cassie's breath on him wakes Yuri up from his slumber and he grips her waist tighter. She shifts and his silver eyes pop open in shock. She moves again and mumbles, "Morning," unaware of his mental agony.

Caught between feigning sleep and answering her, he takes a deep breath before responding. "Good morning Cass."

She immediately notices his strange behavior and taunts him. "Is that a flashlight, or are you just that happy to see me?" Laughing, she scoots up closer to his face. "Aww, I'm joking. How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," Yuri mutters in a strained voice.

Cassie smothers her laughter in her hands. "Oh, my God," she begins as she stares at him wickedly, sitting up on his lap. "You totally have a hard on!"

"I do not," he argues helplessly.

"Uh huh," she goads him as she wiggles, "keep telling yourself that."

"You keep doing that and see what will happen," he threatens her playfully as he grips her waist. She jumps on him lightly and before she's able to grasp the situation, she's on her back and giggling as they kiss passionately. "What have I just told you?" he demands through her lips.

"You're not the boss of me," she remarks sassily, grabbing his hair roughly. He bites at her neck and she moans. "Aww, fuck dude," she whimpers.

"Cassie?" she hears Sonya calling from downstairs. They both hesitate with wide eyes trained on each other in surprise. They wait a beat before Sonya calls her again. "Cass? Are you awake?"

"Shit," she whispers. They begrudgingly untangle themselves before she decides to answer. "Yeah, I'm awake," she calls back.

"All right, your father and I made breakfast. We'll give you thirty to come down," Sonya informs her. Another beat passes before Sonya amends her statement with, "Make it an hour."

"Okay!" Cassie yells from her room. Looking back at Yuri, she gives him a sheepish grin. "Uh… where were we?"

"Right here," he responds as he captures her lips in his once more.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonya covers the plate of food with another before turning towards the stairs. "Cassie?" she calls, "Cass? Are you awake?"

A few moments later: "Yeah, I'm awake," Cassie answers from her room.

"All right, your father and I made breakfast," she continues as Johnny places his lips right behind her ear. "We'll give you thirty to come down."

"We'll need more than that, babe," he whispers conspiratorially as he nips at her ear.

"Make it an hour," she revises with an eye roll. She barely hears Cassie's response when Johnny lifts her onto a clear section of the counter and starts attacking her neck with his lips. "John," she whispers.

"Babe," he counters as he gently raises her arms. She slaps them down by her sides and nudges him away. "Aww babe, c'mon, you can't just tease me like you just did just now and expect me _not_ to react to it."

"You _are_ aware our daughter is upstairs alone in her room with her boyfriend, right?" she informs him when he goes for her neck again. He pulls away and watches her incredulously. "I mean… unless you're complacent with being a grandpa, even though you nearly lost your shit at Cassie's dog—"

"Cass! Come and get your breakfast!" he shouts upstairs.

The two of them hear a bang and Cassie swearing, "Son of a bitch!" loudly.

Sonya stifles her giggles in his neck. "You're evil," she teases him before licking his neck, making him hiss. "Oops, I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," he tells her, smooching her loudly until he hears stomping. "Uh oh," he muses. Sonya quickly climbs off the counter and sits herself down at the island as Johnny rushes to place the plate of food on the table. "Morning kids," Johnny chirps at the two of them.

Cassie rakes her fingers through her hair as Yuri looks down. "Morning," they mumble, Cassie in irritation and Yuri in embarrassment.

"Slept well?" he goads.

Cassie glares at her father. "Dude, c'mon," she whines as she uncovers the plate and slides it in front of Yuri. She takes the fork and stabs through a piece of French toast before placing it on Yuri's plate, shaking it off the utensil. She then grabs the bottle of syrup and squirts a sizeable amount on her toast, eggs, and bacon. She goes to do the same for Yuri when he slides his plate away from her. "Pfft, your loss," she tells him as she puts the bottle down. He waves a dismissive hand at her as he cuts into his food.

Sonya smiles at the young couple. "I hope you both slept okay," she notes gently.

Yuri mutters, "It was fine," while Cassie snaps, "I slept _great_ ," sarcastically.

"Cass, be nice," Johnny gently admonishes her. She grumbles something about interrupting quality time before biting into her food. "So, I was thinking…" he begins.

"Oh, brother," Sonya teasingly gripes. His blue eyes settle on hers with a scowl. "Sorry, continue darling."

"We should hang today," he finishes.

Cassie looks up from her food. "Sorry, this guy already has my schedule for the day," she tells her parents as Yuri blushes.

"They are more than welcome to—"

" _Dude_!" she argues.

Sonya and Johnny frown. "Fine," Sonya concedes, folding her arms.

Johnny rolls his eyes. "And they say she gets it from me," he mutters.

Cassie sighs, putting her fork down. "I'm sorry, guys. Can we hang later today? I didn't get much sleep and I just need to talk to Yuri about some things."

Johnny's frown gets deeper as Sonya has an epiphany. "Oh, well, why didn't you just say that? We understand, right John?" He's uncharacteristically silent. She pokes Johnny lightly and repeats, " _Right_ John?" He harrumphs childishly. "John Robert Carlton, I swear to God—"

"I haven't seen my Punkin in forever, Sonya," Johnny protests.

Sonya pinches the bridge of her nose. "She said she'll hang out with us later. What were you even planning to do? Have a marathon with your movies?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing is wrong with that, John, damn you."

Too engrossed in their lovers spat, they don't notice the pair of young adults sneaking away from their food and up the stairs until Yuri accidentally steps on the creaking trick stair before disappearing into Cassie's room. They look at each other in amusement. "Look what you did, babe."

She wraps her arms around his shoulders. "And you're complaining because…?" she mocks him, pressing a kiss to his nose.

He scratches his head. "Yeah, I don't really remember," he submits, pulling her closer and kissing her soundly on the lips. "Sneaky love-struck kids," he mumbles.

"We were ten times worse," she reminds him as she allows him to lift her onto the island counter again. "Ahem… exhibit A."

"Shh," he silences her with a kiss.

* * *

Monday, Sonya goes back to school, only having Andrew to hang out with during her lunch break. "Are the girls all right?" she asks him in a concerned voice as they stand on the line for Mexican food at their school.

Andrew nods. "Yeah, luckily Indie wasn't too affected, so she'll be released tomorrow. It's Roxy I'm more worried about since she took a bigger hit of the roofies," he tells her.

Sonya shakes her head somberly. "Fuck, I hate hearing about shit like this," she mumbles, sighing. "I'm just really glad Cassie was able to stop him before something else happened."

"Yeah," he agrees, "Indie woke up crying and asking for her. She wants to thank your step… I mean your _actual_ daughter in person."

"I'll be sure to let her know," she responds as they get to the front of the line. He gestures for her to order first and she does. "Can I get your chicken and rice bowl with lettuce, black and red beans, corn, sour cream, red onions, scallion, pico de gallo, and the three cheese blend?" Sonya inquires. The worker smiles at her politely. "Oh, I want the white cilantro rice," she adds as an afterthought.

"Any sauce?" the woman asks her politely.

"Mmm, yeah, let me get the chipotle southwest, the spicy mayo, and the sriracha," she replies. Andrew stifles his snickers behind his hands. She turns to him sharply. "What?"

"That's such a Tex-Mex order, Sonya," he laughs.

She sticks her tongue out at him. "There's this amazing place called Tex Mex Joe's down in Crestview in Austin. My brother and I used to go there a lot. Actually, that's where I got my first job," she explains.

Andrew orders his food and they both step to the side before responding with, "You should take us there."

"I would… if I knew it was still open," Sonya informs him.

He shrugs. "You can Google it, Sonya."

She palms her forehead with her hand. "Of course, why didn't I think of that?" she laughs as she takes out her phone. "Guess I'm not as hip as I thought I was," she pokes fun at herself. "I only really used the military search engines if I needed to do research on something, and it's not like I could do it on my favorite place as a teen."

"Right, because protocol and all that." He nods, understanding.

"Mmm hmm, exactly," she agrees as they receive their food. Andrew choses a table by the window for them to sit down at. She takes a bite of her food while checking her mail on her phone. She frowns at the message she opens from the school regarding her financial aid. "Aww fuck no!" she blurts, causing Andrew to look up from his quesadilla. "No, this is a mistake," she grouses.

"What is?"

She scowls at her phone. "It says my financial aid didn't go through," she tells him. She leans back in her chair, too angry to finish her food. "Un-fucking-believable."

"May I?" he asks, holding out his hand. She gives him the phone and reads the email carefully. "Hmm, it says that you have to go to the veteran's office?"

Her eye twitches slightly in irritation. "The veteran's office?! They said I can get the fucking… I'm going to… fucking why?" she stumbles over her words, trying to swallow her bubble of anger down. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "All right, it's just a simple mistake. I can fix this," she remembers. She picks up her fork again just as her phone rings in Andrew's hand. She quickly takes it and snaps, "What?" After a moment of pause, she grits, "I'm _not_ angry." Unclenching her jaw, she amends her statement with, "Okay, I'm livid, but I'll speak with you later about it. It involves my benefits. Okay, later John."

Andrew knits his eyebrows together in concern. "You'll be able to fix it, right?"

"I'd better be, or else they face my wrath," she bites forcefully. She angrily shovels a fork full of her rice bowl into her mouth.

* * *

Cassie and Jacqui stare at Flagg with unimpressed looks on their faces. In unison, the girls fold their hands on top of the table and lean forward, cocking their heads to the side. Flagg folds his arms defiantly, glaring at them. The three of them sit in relative silence, not wanting to break the silence that has settled upon them.

Finally, the superior officer breaks the silence. "And who has told you this information?"

Cassie rolls her eyes when she sees Jacqui giving her a look. "I have my sources," Cassie answers. "Not like you'd know who it is, seeing how you managed to misplace my mother's files."

Flagg growls at this statement. "I did _not_ misplace your mother's files," he argues.

"Mmm hmm," Cassie hums sarcastically.

Flagg clears his throat. "I'm not entirely sure I appreciate your attitude, Cage," he informs her.

"That's perfectly fine with me," she responds. "I'm just gonna need you to do something about what I've told you today. It's been way too long and the more we wait, the more angry the emperor will be when he _does_ see us."

"And we need an experienced escort. Mr. Cage or uh…" Jacqui begins before hesitating momentarily. She takes a deep breath. "Mr. Cage or Ms. Blade knows much more about Outworld than any of us combined. Having one of the two as an escort will ensure that the process goes smoothly. That's all we're saying. Think of them as our consults again like it was before."

Cassie cocks an eyebrow at Flagg, noticing his change in demeanor. "And why would you not consider me a viable escort?"

Jacqui looks at Cassie. Cassie takes it as a hint to speak next. "He doesn't know you. Hell, he doesn't even know anything about my mom and her… 'Retirement' right now. But I think if we can convince him that she hasn't really left her post, he'd be more willing to speak to us."

After a few long moments of silence, Flagg sighs heavily. "All right fine, I will sign off on your little expedition to Outworld to speak with its emperor once more. But it will take time, and I will need Blake to sign off on it."

"No sweat," Jacqui begins, "Blake won't give you a hard time, trust us."

Flagg huffs. "Yeah, this will be fun," he skeptically notes. "Is that all?"

"For now," Cassie replies ominously. Flagg frowns when she gives him her signature Cage smirk. "Great doing business with ya, Flagg man."

Jacqui fights off a grin when they see Flagg trying to keep his composure. "Thanks Flagg."

When they leave his office, the begin snickering childishly. "Can't believe that worked, Jacqui," Cassie compliments her best friend.

Jacqui shrugs modestly. "Guess I've been hanging around Jin too much." They walk off the base and Jacqui turns to her again. "We needed to find a way to get back to Outworld."

"Desperate measures call for dirty tactics," Cassie giggles. Giving her a hug, Cassie continues, "Thanks for that Jacqui."

"Not a problem, girlfriend. I know how antsy you were getting about the whole situation. So I had to do something crazy. Just one thing though."

"Yeah?"

"Did he actually steal the files?"

Cassie narrows her eyes thoughtfully. "He only scanned them to his phone and then he put them right back."

Jacqui stares. "Well, _some_ one misplaced her files. I'd like to know why."

"Yeah," Cassie agrees, "me, too."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you guys for understanding about last chapter. I hope this was worth the wait. Please review as usual. You won't regret it, I promise.


	22. Catch 22

**Disclaimer:** I'm so sorry, but I do not own it.

 **Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for leaving my loyal readers hanging. I've been dealing with family issues all last month and should have it resolved in the next week or two (after I leave the country and come back). In the meantime (since I'm fully aware of today's date), instead of tricks, you get a treat. In addition to this update, there's also an update in _CageBlade Anthologies_ as well if you're interested. Enjoy. And you're welcome...

* * *

Sonya sits on the bed Indian style on Friday, pouting and sulking in general in her yoga pants and bra. Even the presence of the Maltese puppy does nothing to improve her state. Sensing her ill mood, Lucky crawls into the space between her legs and rests her head in Sonya's lap, sitting quietly. "Thanks pup," she whispers as she scratches behind her ears. Lucky barks in return.

There are a few moments of silence before Johnny walks into the room from his shower. He begins toweling his hair dry and she stares at him. "I can feel you staring at me, honey," he informs her with a chuckle.

She smirks at him. "You're so vain, you know that?"

"You said 'sexy' wrong," he teases her. She rolls her eyes at him as Lucky pants happily. "So, d'ya think Flagg is really going to send Cassie and her team to Outworld again by themselves?"

She snorts and narrows her eyes. "Not without one of us, he isn't." She strokes Lucky's fur again. "Blake knows better than to get on my bad side."

"I would hope so, especially after having to explain what happened to Flagg's jaw the last time you two tangoed together."

She grits her teeth before releasing her jaw. "Speaking of…" she begins. Unfolding her legs, she scoots over to her nightstand and opens the top drawer, pulling out a thick file. "Apparently, Flagg 'misplaced' my files."

Turning to Sonya sharply, Johnny gawks at his wife with wide eyes. " _You_ stole your files?" She gives him a leery smile. "You're evil, you know that? I heard Cass and Yuri talking about that. And Flagg blames Jacqui. Jacqui blames Cassie, Cassie blames Flagg… you're an evil woman." Despite his previous statements, he begins laughing. "Oh man, I love you."

She pats the space next to her and he crawls over to her, placing a kiss on her cheek. "You said 'crafty' wrong," she reminds him playfully. He leans closer to her and smothers her face with tiny smooches. "Honey, not in front of the dog," she tells him.

Johnny rolls his eyes but stares at Lucky resting on the bed. Lucky lifts her head to stare at the two of them. "She won't mind, right fluff ball?" When Lucky doesn't respond, he goes back to biting at her neck. "And you smell amazing as always."

"John," she starts, sighing softly, "we should do this later."

He pulls back and looks at her. "How much later?" he wonders.

"Later, later," she responds as she pulls the puppy back onto her lap. "Besides, don't you want to know how I got them?"

"Your files you mean?" She nods. "As you said, you're crafty; I wouldn't put it past you to blackmail Blake into doing your bidding. Much like Cassie begged Yuri to do hers."

Sonya's eyes go wide. "What are you talking about?"

Johnny rolls his blue eyes at her. "You really don't give our daughter enough credit sometimes, babe." She frowns at his accusation. "I mean to say she probably already knows about your 'retirement'. That's how she must have gotten Flagg to let her and the team back into Outworld."

"Oh," she mutters after a long bout of silence between the two of them. "Great, so I have to look forward to her yelling at me, huh?"

Johnny shakes his head and responds with, "She's not mad at you. She's mad _for_ you. I don't think this is how she imagined you leaving the military and she feels bad, hence why she's trying to make it up to you." He hums affirmatively and kisses her gently. "Yep, she just want to make it up to you. And so do I." He crawls on top of her as Lucky nips at Johnny's toes. "Just one thing though… can we not in front of the puppy?"

"Isn't that what I've _just_ told you?" she lectures him.

He frowns at her. Turning to pick up Lucky, he announces, "Well then, maybe the pup will go back to her mom, right fluff ball?"

She jumps out of bed and stands in front of him. "Oh, no you don't. Cassie isn't home."

He tries to dodge her and she steps in his way again. "Then Yuri—"

"Isn't home either," she tells him as they block each other again. "The dog stays."

"But baby," he whines, "please? I miss you. Between me on set and you at school, I rarely see you."

She lets out an exasperated breath. "I'm right here, darling. But the dog stays here until they come back."

He makes one last attempt to escape with the puppy and she blocks his way to the door. He smirks at her and she frowns. "You know, you're actually kinda sexy when you do that." He sets Lucky down one again and wraps his arms around her waist. "But really, the puppy—"

"The. Dog. Stays," she emphasizes with a scowl as she folds her arms.

Johnny lets out a disgruntled grunt. "You're no fun," he pouts childishly, dropping his arms by his sides. Lucky rubs her body against Sonya's leg. "You neither, you adorable little mutt." Lucky whines and Sonya glowers at him. "I'm just kidding honey, shh," he consoles her.

"You're a pain in the ass, John."

"I love you, too baby," he grins at her.

* * *

Cassie and Yuri are sharing lunch with each other as she tells him the rest of her story. She laughs and covers her face while he gives her an amused look. "So _then_ my dad goes, 'help me out here pup. Don't make her call me a grandpa.' And Lucky just stares at him like, 'nope, this is happening' and then I say, 'the dog has spoken, you're a grandpa.' Oh my God, the look on his face was priceless," she finishes her story.

His face brightens up and he joins her laughter. "So basically, you've given your father a coronary. Amazing," he teases. He dips a French fry in ketchup and observes it curiously.

She tilts her head to the side, watching him scrutinize his food in fascination. "Dude, just try it," she encourages him. With a roll of his eyes, he bites into it. He makes an awestruck face before sighing contently. "That good, huh?" she gloats as she leans back, impressed with his reaction.

He returns to his impassive expression. "I will not succumb to your gloating, Cassandra," he replies. She sticks out her tongue at him petulantly. "You're the role model for maturity, you know that?" he teases.

She giggles. "Only you can get away with making fun of me. Others have tried. They've experienced these hands," she tells him in an ominous voice.

"Spooky," he counters in a deadpan voice as he eats another one of her fries. She narrows her eyes at him. "I apologize, but it's adorable to see you get so riled up."

"You did _not_ just call me adorable! You're about to get these hands too!" she jokes as she takes a sip of her fruit punch.

"I'm absolutely terrified," he continues to joke in a monotone voice, causing her to choke on her drink. She palms her forehead and laughs. He chuckles at her face. "I'm joking."

"You'd better be!" she muses with a shake of her head.

A few moments of silence passes between the two of them. Yuri opens his mouth to say something but then closes it, changing his mind. Cassie notices this and raises an inquiring brow at him. He sighs and tries again. "Have you ever… did you… never mind."

"No, no, ask me," she assures him. He scrunched his lips thoughtfully. "I'm not gonna hurt you if that's what you're afraid of."

"I do not want to be forward," he responds.

"C'mon babe, just ask me. I promise I won't bite."

"All right," he sighs, "speaking of your father being a grandfather, how do you feel about having children? Not anytime soon, just in general."

The question throws Cassie off, a fry halfway in her mouth as she stares at him with wide eyes. She puts the fry down slowly and swallows. "Oh," she mumbles.

He looks away awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"No, you're fine. I literally wasn't expecting that question from you," she admits. She takes a deep breath. "If you asked me this years ago, I would've said 'hell to the fuck no' only because I know about my parents' circumstances around having me, and I swore I would do anything and everything in my power to avoid that path in life.

"Then I thought about it some more a year ago and I probably would've been open to the idea… if I knew for sure it was possible. I mean, I would've liked the chance to make that decision on my own, you know?"

Yuri's heart sinks. "I was not aware… I'm sorry," he mumbles, completely flustered.

"I said you're fine babe. Like you said, you weren't aware," she comforts him, petting his hand gently. "Basically, if I'm able to, I would. What about you?" Cassie asks him.

"Well, if I do, it would have to be with the right person," he tells her. She nods, understanding. "I mean, I am afraid of the wrong person being scared of the possibility of my genetics."

"Dude, you're related to Takeda. You've got nothing to worry about. Plus those sexy silver eyes of yours," she sighs lovelorn as he frowns.

"I'm afraid you misunderstand me," he says in an effort to redirect her attention. She cringes at her shallowness. "I meant with my… abilities—"

"Oh?" Now he has her attention. "Ooh, like mysterious powers of some sort?"

"You can say that. Though it is more of a bloody curse," he grumbles.

Cassie visibly balks. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to poke fun," she tells him, taking another sip of her drink. She puts her cup down and stares at him intently. "Please tell me. I promise I won't judge," she encourages him. She then sarcastically adds, "Because I'm in any position to judge anyone for that matter." She threads her fingers through his and gives his hand a comforting squeeze. "I'm listening."

He sighs. "All right," he begins, "there are different branches to divination. You know this, right?" She nods. "Well, there is a subcategory of this called scrying, which is the use of reflective surfaces to see either the past or future. There is hydromancy, oculomancy, and catoptromancy, for water, eyes, and mirrors respectively." She blinks at him. "Long story short, I can tap into a person's mind and see their memories through their eyes. And more often than not, it is not the most pleasant of experiences."

"Huh," she starts, "I've never heard of that before, but that seems… hmm, I can see why it would be a curse at times." She takes a moment to think and her eyes go wide in shock. "Oh, my God," she replies as she realizes something. "Is that part of the reason you don't do eye contact for long periods of time?" Slowly but surely, he nods as she covers her mouth in disbelief. "Oh dude, I had no idea. I just thought… ugh, I'm sorry."

"It is fine," he breathes, though he still feels uncomfortable. He sighs again. "My mother had the same ability and has thus passed it on to me. They are apparently extremely rare, so it isn't like I can consult with someone on learning how to control it. If I'm unable to restrain it for myself, how would I be able to teach my descendants control? I worry since I have a strong chance of passing it down."

"Yeah, that's totally understandable," she tells him. She has a dozen more questions for him, but is afraid of snooping since she picks up on his discomfort. Instead, she decides to relate to him. "You heard of the way I took down Shinnok?"

Yuri raises an eyebrow. "It may have been mentioned, but no, I do not know all of the details," he answers.

"Well," Cassie starts to explain but then changes her mind. "Actually… uh… would you be able to see for yourself? It's a bit complicated to explain." He nods. "Okay, go for it," she tells him.

He scowls. "Are you absolutely certain?"

"Mmm hmm," she replies. He takes a deep breath and stares into her eyes intently as she notices his irises changing from its usual silver to a deep blue with tints of red. They stay in their current positions for a few minutes, unable to break the connection. Finally, he blinks and she leans back, wide eyed. "Holy shit, that was extreme."

"Indeed," he agrees. He rubs his temples with his fingers. "That green aura you've produced."

"Yeah, that kinda runs in the family too," she confesses. "Oh man, imagine our kids, dude. Like, we'd have this super being that can take down gods and recall memories and all that fancy shit."

He turns red at her statement. "So, you don't think it's… odd?"

She waves a dismissive hand at him. "Hell no, I think it's cool as fuck! I mean, you're awesome, I'm amazing, so naturally our kids would be too," she rambles until she realizes the depth of her statement. Throwing a hand to her mouth, Cassie blinks at him shamefully as he smirks. "I-I mean… hypothetically speaking, of course."

He gently pries her hand away from her mouth and holds it in his gentle grip. " _Hypothetically_ speaking, you would not be wrong," he notifies her with a wink. She blushes at his words and bites her lip when he presses a kiss to her knuckles. "Thank you for understanding, Cass."

She gets up and walks over to his side of the booth, sitting herself in his lap. Throwing her arms around his neck, she responds, "Aww, but it's my job to understand."

"A job you do well," he praises as she leans down to kiss him softly on the lips. He looks up at her adoringly. "I have missed you."

"I've missed you more, baby," she declares happily. They remain in their embrace for a long time, drawing from each other's serenity even in the hustle and bustle of the busy fast food joint they're at. After a while, she reluctantly pulls away. "We should get going soon."

He nods in agreement. "Though I'm not looking forward to an empty house," he pouts.

"My mom and dad are gonna be home," she reminds him. He blinks at her. "Oh… I thought you were gonna stay with us longer? You know you're more than welcome to. And I don't think Kenshi would mind if you did." With an affirmative nod, she decides, "Yeah, you're staying with us. My dad will keep you company while I'm at the base. I think he'd appreciate it."

He smiles. "I'm sure of it. Plus, who else will keep little Lucky in line?"

"Eh, good point. Sonya and Johnny spoil the crap out of fluffy butt," she agrees with a giggle. She gets up from his lap, holding a hand out to him. "Let's go."

* * *

While Johnny goes to his set to work on his movie later that day, Sonya sets her sights on Blake's office. She knocks a few times and he opens the door, his wet hair shocking her. She stares at him with wide eyes and he raises an eyebrow in confusion. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Sonya?"

She blinks at him a few times before shaking her head. "I've just received an odd letter in the mail saying I'm ineligible for my veteran benefits… which is strange considering I was told I'd receive an honorable discharge?" It's his turn to stare at her with wide eyes and she quirks an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, wanna explain that to me?"

He balks under her scrutinizing glare. "It's out of my hands, Sonya."

"That's your excuse for everything, isn't it?" she accuses him, folding her arms.

He opens the door a bit wider. "I learned from the best."

" _Excuse_ me?"

Blake crosses his arms across his chest as well. "Listen Sonya—"

"No, _you_ listen to me Leonard," Sonya snarls, using his first name for the first time in a long time. He closes his mouth obediently. "You of all people knew what I was put through regarding that bastard. You also know I was well in my right to do what I did to protect my daughter. I expected you to at least try to defend me and you didn't. So you don't get to play the pity card with me."

"I wouldn't ever play the pity card. You should know better," he laments. She squints at him. "And how did you even find out anyway? Did you send Briggs or Cage to do your dirty work?"

She growls at him as she continues to stare him down menacingly. "You leave them out of this. They had nothing to do with me finding out. You on the other hand, _you_ should've told me instead of letting me finding out. I didn't allow you to fall out blindly, but you left me of all people out to dry? That's low. And I expected better from you."

He sighs harshly once again. " _I_ didn't leave you out to dry. I was the one who implored the general to give you a general discharge instead of what he was really going to give you."

"Oh, like the OTH discharge?" Sonya quips sarcastically. He nods. "Well, I guess you didn't implore hard enough, _Leonard_." She pulls out the piece of paper from her file and shoves it in his hand with more force than necessary. He grabs it and scans the page, visibly turning pale at the contents. "You see?"

"I didn't do this, Sonya, I swear," he pleads. She folds her arms, staring at him ruefully. "I had nothing to do with this."

"Well technically, I can fight this because I know I'm supposed to be told in writing the discharge I received, and I didn't. And you and I both know this is extreme given the circumstances."

Blake swallows uneasily. "I'll help out any way I can," he submits, hanging his head low. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make a few phone calls."

"Fine. Someone better fix this, because if my daughter finds out… I honestly can't say any of you will be safe if she does," Sonya warns him. With that, she turns on her heel and marches away from his office, some of her former soldiers moving out of her way or waving at her.

"We miss you, General," one female private tells her.

She looks over at the woman and gives her a small smile. "It's Sonya. And I miss you, too."

Having borrowed Kenshi and Hanzo for fight training with his cast, Johnny smirks happily when the newly renovated melee scene comes out much better than he'd anticipated. He waits a few moments before calling, "Cut!" to everyone. "Great stuff everyone. Take a break, you all earned it for sure."

"Yes!" Natalie cheers as she runs off set to grab her son from the play area.

"Your pupils have taken to these sessions very well, Johnny," Kenshi compliments him.

Johnny smirks. "Thanks man. I tried my best, but I honestly couldn't have done any of this without your help."

"Regardless, it's coming along nicely. I'm sorry for doubting you," Kenshi explains. Johnny furrows his eyebrows. "I underestimated your acting abilities."

Johnny resumes his gleeful grin. "Told ya!" he gloats. Kenshi shakes his head and walks away from Johnny as the latter laughs.

When Sonya and Johnny meet for dinner, his happy mood fades after hearing Sonya's plight. "He just stared at me with this stupid possum look on his face when I showed him the proof of the actual discharge I received. You know what this'll do to my reputation?"

"I know it makes you look really bad, to the point where it'll be hard to get a good job anywhere else," he informs her. She nods and stabs at her pork chop angrily. He calmly rests a hand over hers and levels a look with her, to which she sighs at. "None of this is fair to you. You don't deserve that, especially considering they didn't even try to hear you out."

"Exactly! If they'd given me the court martial, at least I would've been given the chance to explain myself. They should know I would never kill anyone without reason," she tells him as her lips tremble.

He looks up to see the hurt wash over her face. "Aww honey, please don't cry," he pleads as he stands up and goes to her side to give her a sideways hug. She buries her face in the crook of his arm, inhaling his freshly laundered shirt. "And don't worry, we will get everything straightened out for you. In the meantime since I can't allow you to be in debt—"

"I'm not gonna let you pay for my classes," she mumbles through his shirt.

"You don't have a choice. Your debt is my debt so we need to get out of it anyway we can. So I'm going to pay for your classes, all right?"

There's silence between the two of them before she finally agrees with a series of nods, bursting into hysterical sobs on his shoulder. "Thank you, Johnny," she blubbers when she comes up for air. She wipes her eyes and gives him a watery smile, still pained from her humiliation. "Thanks honey."

He presses a kiss to her forehead. "Anything for you, baby." She rolls her eyes at him but doesn't bother to correct him. Instead, she leans her head on his shoulder once more, seeking solace from his presence.

* * *

 **A/N:** All right, so now you know who really stole Sonya's files. What do you think she's going to do with this new bit of information? And what do you think of her and Cassie teaming up once they realize the other knows what they think they don't know? Leave your thoughts, questions, and comments in reviews as usual. Thanks!


	23. Two Steps Forward, Ten Steps Back

**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked, which was like, two days ago, I still don't own it. Oops?

 **Author's Note:** *peeks in from a corner* Oh, my God, it's been so long! I haven't had a muse for this in a long time and it basically just came back to me in a dream because I'd been thinking about something else. If you wanna know what I'd been thinking about, shoot me an email or private message, because I'm sure you'll have questions after you read this chapter. Onward!

* * *

On Monday morning, Cassie finds Yuri sitting outside in the backyard with his back turned to her, his long black hair billowing in the breeze. She smiles contently as she watches him meditate at total peace. After a few moments, she opens her mouth to tell him something when he interrupts with, "I can feel your aura, Cassandra."

She squeaks, guilty of having been caught stalking him. Then she laughs softly. "Damn, you're good." She clears her throat before trying again. "I just wanted to see if you ate already. Mom made breakfast before she left."

"Thank you, but I've already eaten," he answers as he takes another deep, cleansing breath. When he notices she hasn't left, he raises an eyebrow. "Did you need something else, dear?" he wonders politely.

She hugs him from behind and squeezes gently as she rests her head on his shoulder. "I'm probably disturbing you, but I just wanna be near you." He smiles and reaches behind him to pet her hair. "Also, I need another favor."

He furrows his eyebrows at her. "Does it involve more breaking and entering?"

Cassie scoffs at him and lifts her cheek off his back. "No," she mutters, rolling her eyes, "it's something else."

He chuckles. "I just like giving you a hard time. What's your favor?"

"Can you help me train at the gym today? I really need to kick some ass. And, don't go easy on me because we're dating."

"I don't even go easy on my cousin," he tells her with a laugh and she joins him in his mirth. "When would you like to train?"

"Uh… today?"

"Any reason why?"

"Well… I mean, why not?"

He shrugs in response. "Just asking. You aren't about to go on a crazy mission, are you?"

Cassie squints at the inquiry. "What are you, a telepath?" she pouts.

It's Yuri's turn to narrow his eyes at her. "Cassandra," he warns her.

"Will you _relax_? I'm not gonna get myself killed or anything." He lets out an annoyed huff of breath. "I'm not, I promise."

"I know. I worry, you already know this." He stands up and offers a hand to her. When she's upright, she places both palms on his chest and smirks as he pulls her closer. "You're not allowed to die. Not on my watch."

"Sir, yes sir!" she mock salutes him, something he rolls his eyes at. "Aww, cheer up, buttercup. It's just a standard mission. Go to Outworld, find D'Vorah, talk to Kotal, come back."

He blinks at her. "And this is standard?" She nods in response, which makes him sigh resignedly. "I understand. I had a standard mission like that once. It led me to you, didn't it?"

"Aww, spying on me was standard?" she teases him, pressing her nose to his.

"You and I both know it was more than that to me," he explains to her.

She kisses him soundly on the lips and mumbles, "Yeah, yeah I know." She pulls away and grabs his hand. "C'mon, let's go before I change my mind."

He allows her to drag him before he stops in his tracks. "Wait… where's Lucky?"

* * *

"Yeah, you adorable little pup, tell grandpa to back off," Natalie teases Johnny while rubbing Lucky's ears affectionately. At total ease, the Maltese pants happily as Johnny frowns at his actor.

"Okay, that's enough," he tells her, grumbling to himself. Natalie laughs and walks away from the two of them. Lifting the puppy to his face, he stares at her and she at him. "You're really lucky you're so adorable, you know that?" Lucky blinks in return. "Aww, don't give me that face pup." Lucky barks at him. "Fine, you win," he concedes.

Tucking the puppy gently under his arms, Johnny stands up and walks around his set. On one hand, everything was finally falling into place with his movie, and he's proud of the progress everyone has been making in the past few months. On the other hand, he muses on his wife and daughter and how their lives are starting to turn upside down again. It appears the three of them couldn't have progression at the same time, and the thought bothers him.

With a resigned sigh, he places Lucky down on the floor and she obediently stays by his feet. It's his time to get answers from his 'buddy' Secretary Blake, not like they were ever really buddies despite what Sonya thought. He pulls out his cell phone and dials his personal phone. "Secretary Blake," he answers wearily.

"Hey Blake, it's Cage," Johnny tells him.

Blake growls lowly. "Come to yell at me, too?" Before Johnny can get a word in, he barrels on with, "Look, I had nothing to do with Sonya's discharge. I begged and pleaded for her to get at least a general discharge. They don't realize the service she's done by bringing down the Black Dragon once and for all, how quiet it's been around here since she left. Now, before you yell at me thinking I mean that in a good way, I don't, okay? Flagg is unstable and quite frankly underrated and under prepared."

"I—" Johnny tries to say.

"I never wanted things to go down this way, and I promise I will get your team back to underworld—"

"Outworld?" Johnny corrects Blake.

Blake sighs. "Yeah, that," he finishes lamely. Johnny raises an eyebrow at the now ensuing silence. Then, Blake continues, "I'm doing my best but I have only so much clout now."

"Dude, I know that," Johnny reassures him. Blake lets out a sigh of relief. "You're not totally off the hook with us though. After all, while Sonya was getting ripped a new one, what were you doing? When Sonya had to scramble to finish off her duties as general, where were you? When Sonya, my _wife_ came to me crying about being betrayed by one of her last good standing friends, did you even try to check up on her?" Blake's silence is Johnny's answer. "Exactly. And I was there when she was defending you from your shit. All she would've ever wanted was an iota of the same loyalty she's shown you."

"I failed her," Blake laments.

Johnny huffs. He thinks he's done enough of making Blake feel bad, so now it's time to reason with him. "Look, you have time to make it up to her before Cassie gets fully involved, because I am in no way obligated to stop my princess from doing what she wants if her plans come to fruition."

"What plans?"

Johnny snorts. _So, he doesn't know?_ He thinks. Before he can stop himself, he starts laughing, softly at first before becoming borderline uproarious. Lucky looks up at Johnny, eyes curious and ears perked. "I'm sorry, it's just… she's a fucking genius."

"Your point, Cage?"

Johnny clears his throat. "Cassie gonna try to get Sonya reinstated, using evidence against you and Flagg. Evidence that could get you both into a lot of trouble. Hence why I said you'd better act fast before this goes through."

"She's _your_ daughter. Can't you talk to her?" Blake pleads.

Johnny smirks evilly. "I can try?"

Blake sighs roughly before snapping, "Well she's at the base, so go talk to her." Without a second thought, Blake hangs up on Johnny.

Johnny places his phone in his pocket, snickering to himself. "Let's go have a chit chat with Mom, eh pup?" he tells Lucky as he picks her up and walks to her carrier.

* * *

"That's your battle stance, babe?" Cassie teases Yuri in the gym at the base. Yuri puts one fist down and narrows his eyes at her. "I'm sorry, I'm a shit talker. As you were." He lunges at her with a fist which she blocks, leaving her open for a sweeping kick that knocks her down. "What the…" she gasps from the floor.

"You were saying?" he mocks her playfully, helping her up.

Cassie rolls her neck and gets into position again. "Okay, _now_ it's on," she declares. She performs three snap kicks, which are all blocked by him. As he's grabbing her leg from the third kick, she uses her body's momentum to propel herself into an aerial sweep kick, knocking him off kilter. He stumbles backward but regains his balance enough to parry a set of her parrot punches. He goes for a chop to her stomach but she dodges it by jumping back. She breaks the hold by grabbing his arm and kneeing him in the stomach before he grabs her other leg and flips her over. "Wow, you pull no punches, huh babe?" she notes as she gets up.

"You said not to go easy on you, did you not?" he reminds her.

She rubs her neck. "Yeah but… now I'm not gonna go easy on you," she taunts him. He beckons her to strike him first. When she hesitates, he strikes first with an axe chop from above to her shoulder, temporarily stunning her. She elbows him in the chest, nearly hitting his neck and he launches his own attack. Two of five hits are successful, including the uppercut that snaps her jaw closed, causing her to bite her tongue. "Oomph!" she moans as she holds her mouth closed.

Yuri's silver eyes go wide. "Oh, I'm so—" he starts to apologize before he's surprised by a shadow kick to the nose. "Fuck," he swears under his breath.

"Oh shit, you cursed!" Cassie exclaims in shock as she stares at him. He pulls at his nose and finds blood on his hand. "Shit, now _I'm_ sorry."

"It's okay. Let's continue," he coaches her.

They continue their sparring for another ten minutes before he decides to tackle her. She manages to shift his weight so when they fall, she lands on top of him. She places her hands on either side of him and leans in close. "Yield," she says softly, almost seductively.

He places his soft hands on her hips. "I yield," he responds, his eyes darkening with lust. Suddenly, she leans down and they kiss passionately despite his nasal injury and her busted lip.

They don't notice Johnny walking in carrying Lucky in his arm, nor do they see the condemning look he gives the pair of young adults. Although he decides to stop them with a sharp whistle when Yuri's hand slide up the front of Cassie's shirt. "Princess," Johnny calls them.

They guiltily spring apart, Cassie tossing Yuri aside while she gloats, "You lose!" Blushing profusely, she turns to her dad. "Hi Dad. Hi Lucky girl!"

Lucky barks once and pants. Johnny raises an eyebrow at his daughter. "That must've been some fight, huh kids?"

Her cheeks redden some more. Yuri touches his nose gingerly and frowns when he sees a bit of blood on his fingers. "Yeah, sure," he mutters.

"Dad!" she whines, "how long were you standing there?!"

"Long enough," is his withering reply. She gets up and takes her puppy from his arms. "I need to talk to you. Unless you know, you want to continue your 'match'," he says, using the quote gesture around the word match.

Yuri jiggles his nose again and swears in his native language of Thai. "Your daughter is brutal," he tells Johnny.

"Yeah, no kidding," he agrees, going to the younger man and pulling his nose forward, hearing a click. Yuri moans and Johnny rolls his eyes. "Oh, she's done worse. Consider yourself lucky."

Lucky turns to Johnny after hearing her name called. "Aww you're so cute!" Cassie squeals as she ruffles her fur. "But gramps wasn't talking to you, fluffy butt."

Johnny folds his arms. "I need to talk to _you_ though, Cassie," he reminds her. Her face falls as Yuri looks away awkwardly. "You're not off the hook either, Ninja dude." Yuri looks back at Johnny with a look of horror on his face. "Follow me. This is a sensitive conversation."

Cassie picks up Lucky and follows her father and boyfriend out of the gym, down the hallway, and into a private small office. Johnny closes the door behind him and gestures for the couple to have a seat on the conference desk. For a while, there's an unsettling silence between the three of them. Then, Cassie breaks the ice with, "Dad look, we were only training because I asked for help and—"

"I'm not going to get on your case about your training, Princess," Johnny stops her. Yuri swallows but keeps his eyes on Johnny. "What I _am_ gonna get on your case about is your mother's files."

"I didn't steal them!" she yelps defensively. Johnny pinches the bridge of his nose in agitation. "Sorry. But I didn't, I swear."

Johnny sighs. "I know this already," he tells her while leveling a look with Yuri. He raises an eyebrow and tilts his head.

"It was not me either," Yuri balks under the pressure. Cassie palms her forehead. "All I did was scan them and placed them back where they belonged."

"Yuri!" Cassie scolds him.

"I didn't remove them from the office and I do not appreciate being accused of that," he continues.

"Dude," Johnny starts, holding a hand up to stop him, "chill out. I'm not accusing either of you, I promise. Her files are safe and sound."

"They are?" Cassie accuses while Yuri confirms. They turn to look at each other. "So… what about Mom's files?"

Johnny sighs again. "I know you know about what's on said files. About her Other Than Honorable discharge?"

"Which, if I may say," Yuri pipes in with, "is a bunch of—"

"Bullshit," Cassie spits. "Flagg and Blake are dead wrong for what they did to Mom."

"I know, I know, trust me," Johnny tells her. She folds her arms as Lucky nips at Yuri's foot. "But you also know better than to threaten your superior officers too, right?"

Yuri raises an eyebrow at Cassie as she looks down, ashamed. "I know, Dad. I just… I don't know what I was thinking. I just think Mom should have a chance to explain herself."

"You _know_ it means via a court martial and you _know_ you're not ready for that info to come out."

"Yes, I am!" Cassie argues.

"Cassie, listen to me. I'm telling you as your father because I know you and I love you, but you aren't ready for that," he reiterates in a low voice, one which makes her arguments dry up in her throat. Yuri looks down as well, avoiding further eye contact with Johnny. "Look. I get what you're trying to do, both of us do. But you need to be aware of the backlash we _all_ could face from this."

Cassie swipes an angry tear from her eye. "Well, I knew the potential backlash I could've faced from that side mission but I still did it," she says, folding her arms.

"Maybe your father's right, Cass," Yuri says to her softly. She scowls at him. "If there is so much trouble to be had for this, maybe it isn't worth it."

"You guys are un-fucking-believable!" she swears at them, getting up from her chair and stalking out of the office.

After a few awkward moments of silence, Johnny says bitterly, "Good talk, huh?"

"I am inclined to disagree," Yuri tells him. Johnny narrows his eyes.

* * *

The tension is thick between everyone in the household minus Sonya who managed to have a decent day at school. She hums happily as she places dinner on everyone's plates and hands them the appropriate utensils. When she sits down at the table, she sees Cassie playing an aggressive game on her phone, Yuri staring into space, and Johnny frowning with his arms folded, uncharacteristically silent. Her smile falls from her face. "Jeeze," she says after a while, "what's gotten into you guys?" Johnny harrumphs bitterly, Cassie slams down her phone (she lost her fourth consecutive online match), and Yuri rests his fist across his cheek. "All right, let's try again. What happened?" They all start talking at once over each other before Sonya whistles. They cover their ears but stop arguing. "One at a time!"

Yuri goes first, "Cassandra is mad at Johnny and me."

"Gee, I wonder why," she fires back snidely.

"Don't be that way, Cassie," Johnny chides her.

Sonya turns her attention to her daughter. "Cassie? Why are you mad at your dad and boyfriend?"

Cassie scowls. "Because Dad doesn't want me to use evidence against Blake and Flagg for _your_ dismissal, and Yuri agrees with him."

Sonya balks. "I wasn't dismissed…" she lies.

"Mom, seriously, cut the bullshit. I'm not a fucking child!"

"Don't raise your voice at me Cassandra," Sonya warns her.

"Don't lie to me then!"

Sonya huffs and turns her attention to Johnny. "John," she prods him.

"I'm trying to prevent a humiliating court martial for all of us. You really want all our secrets to come out? I mean _all_ of our secrets?"

Sonya rubs the back of her neck. "I mean… besides asking about the shit from the warehouse, how bad do you think it'll be?" Yuri looks away again. "Yuri?"

He purses his lips. "I'll be exposed…" he mutters.

"As a double agent working on our side?" Sonya asks him. He swallows, thinking of the retaliation he'd face if it turns out some Black Dragon members were still alive. He nods slowly. Sonya sighs. "Cassie, I want… I _need_ you to think of the bigger picture here."

"You don't think I'm ready either?" she whispers.

"Everything Kano did—"

"Don't say his name," Cassie tells her mother.

"But—"

"I _said_ don't say his _name_!" she practically screeches, banging her fists on the table. Yuri jumps as Lucky wakes up from her impromptu nap. Johnny and Sonya stares at her, angrily and alarmed respectively. She pushes her chair back with so much force it topples over. The puppy whines and shrinks in a corner. "Maybe you're right after all, huh?" After a long glare, she turns on her heel and stomps upstairs to her room, slamming the door closed.

Sonya bites her lip. Johnny rubs his forehead. Yuri places his fork down on the table before wiping his mouth. "I will go check on her," he says before excusing himself to her room as well.

After a few more moments, Sonya says, "That went well, huh?"

Johnny looks up at her with a disbelieving look on his face. "In the words of Yuri, I'm inclined to disagree." She scoffs, pushing her plate away. "Look, we'll just let her chill for a little while. Maybe she'll forget about her tirade."

"I doubt it Johnny. She's my daughter after all," she remarks bitterly. "Dammit."

Cassie tosses and turns in her bed that night as Yuri stares at the ceiling, also being unable to sleep. She finally wakes up and kicks her covers off the bed. "Fuck," she whispers.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm still fucking pissed at my dad. Why doesn't he think I'm capable of handling the stupid goddamn court martial? Why does he even think there will be one?"

"He's just trying to protect you," Yuri answers softly.

"I don't need him to protect me. I need him to trust me," she reasons with him. He turns his head to her and looks at her. She looks back at him. "Do _you_ trust me?"

"Of course. Blindly to a fault, perhaps," he admits to her.

She frowns. "Because I don't listen to rules all the time." She sighs heavily. "I don't wanna back down, but I will."

"It's for the best, my love. Focus on your next mission. Everything meant to be will eventually sort itself out. I promise," he tells her.

"You sound so sure of shit," she tells him kindly. She scoots closer to him and rests her head on his shoulder. "This mission better go well, or else I'm requesting your permission to personally kick Flagg's ass."

"Cassandra," he cautions her lightly. She sighs again. "It will."

"It better," she pouts.

He pulls her closer to him and plants a kiss on her forehead. "It will," he repeats in a finalized tone.

* * *

 **A/N:** Reviews always appreciated! Thank you so much to my old and new readers alike.


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